


Different Skies

by PBJazz



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Comedy, F/F, Honeymaren and Ryder being dorks in Arendelle fic, Lesbian Disaster Elsa (Disney), Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:35:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 72,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21975205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PBJazz/pseuds/PBJazz
Summary: Elsa brings Honeymaren and Ryder to Arendelle to help Anna with wedding preparations and re-introduce the people of Arendelle to the Northuldrans. The siblings struggle with the different setting, Elsa struggles with her attraction to Honeymaren, and Anna struggles to not go insane. (Comedy/disaster lesbian romance)
Relationships: Elsa/Honeymaren (Disney), elsamaren - Relationship
Comments: 98
Kudos: 508





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I haven’t written fan fic in a long time, so hopefully this story will improve with each chapter as I get back into it lol

The letter came two days ago, carefully shaped into a crane, and swept across the sea by Gale. Elsa expected the usual cheerful letter sent by her sister, but instead, she got a plea for help. The castle staff, although a well intentioned bunch, were already preparing for Anna and Kristoff’s wedding that was months away. Elsa could see by the many cross-outs, ink stains, random doodles, and messy handwriting that her sister was overwhelmed.

In return, Elsa sent a more calming letter reassuring her sister that the staff knew what they were doing and let them help her. Almost instantly after her letter was sent, Gale returned with another frantic letter this time sent not in a carefully crafted crane, but as a crinkled, almost ball-like shape. Anna’s new letter repeated her plea but his time she threw in something that she knew Elsa couldn’t say no to:

_Also…we want to invite the Northuldra people to our wedding, but, don’t you think we should slowly introduce them to our people? If they show up en masse on the wedding day, our people might be suspicious or scared and treat them unwell. As the bridge to the enchanted and spirity side of the kingdom, I’m sure you have these concerns as well. So…bring Honeymaren and Ryder with you so we can introduce them! They want to see the world anyway, so why not start them here where it’s safe?_

Pure manipulation. Anna will make a great queen, Elsa decided.

Elsa sighed and put her satchel down on the ground. She wore a light blue dress she brought back from home to wear whenever she went back to Arendelle. The first time she came home in her flowing ice dress, the people treated her more like an angel than a human being. Some people even thought she was a goddess and kneeled down to her on the street. It made Elsa anxious and uncomfortable. True, the Northuldran people treated her like something beyond human too at times, but it was more respect than fear and awe.

“Okay,” Ryder’s voice interrupted Elsa’s thoughts. He jogged over to join her side and added his bag next to hers. “The reindeer were disappointed they couldn’t come, but they understand.”

Elsa let out a laugh and nodded courteously. “I will make it up to them when we get back.”

Ryder looked about anxiously while hopping on his heels. “Is my sister ready yet? I can’t wait any longer!”

Yelana walked over towards the pair and peered at Ryder. “Be on your best behavior for Elsa. You two are going to be the first Northuldran people in her land in decades, I expect that you will make a good impression for us.”

Ryder instantly stopped bouncing about and stiffened his entire body, arms pushed straight into his sides. “We will do our best!”

The old woman let out a noise through her nose. “Hrumph. That is what I fear.”

Elsa clasped her hands together and reassured the leader, “I have been teaching Ryder and Honeymaren some of our customs and…societal expectations… I trust that they will not let you down.”

“Hm,” Yelana replied and nothing else.

Elsa began to feel the tension in the air rise and wondered if she should say anything else. Luckily, Honeymaren strode over, one hand holding her spear-tipped staff that rested across her shoulders and back, and the other hand holding a bag.

“Alright,” she announced as she came to a stop behind Yelana. Honeymaren dropped her bag at her side. “I’m ready now.”

Elsa, as always, found herself staring at Honeymaren with admiration. The young Northuldran radiated self confidence and strength, something Elsa could only hope to imitate. Deep in her heart, though, she knew she might be always staring at Honeymaren for other reasons too, something Anna mercilessly teased her about whenever she caught Elsa staring or when Elsa talked non-stop about Honeymaren during their visits. Still, Elsa just learned how to be open to family love, and she wasn’t sure if she had a romantic love for the shorter woman standing before her, armed to the teeth---oh no.

“I am sorry, Honeymaren. You cannot take that staff with you,” Elsa said apologetically.

Honeymaren looked as if Elsa had demanded she give up her first born child. “But…it’s my staff… W-what if we get attacked?”

Elsa smirked, held out her hand, and created a miniature tornado of ice and snow on her palm. “Magic, remember?”

She looked at Honeymaren whose face twisted. Honeymaren was fiercely protective of her tribe, always the first one to volunteer to investigate potential threats and often going out into the woods armed with her staff when she thought something was out there. Even when they first met, Honeymaren was the first one to drop from the trees and point her staff at Elsa and the others. Elsa realized asking Honeymaren to give up her weapon would be like asking Elsa to give up her magic.

Elsa quickly added, “And I can always make you a staff if you need to fight.”

Honeymaren made a noise in her throat as she seemed to mull over the offer.

“Honey…” Yelana said in a warning tone.

Honeymaren held up her hands as best as she could. “Okay, okay, I get it. I’ll put it back.”

Elsa bit her lip and pointed at the dagger hanging off of Honeymaren’s wide belt. “Um…your dagger too.”

Honeymaren grabbed her dagger protectively with her free hand. “Aww, Elsa!”

Elsa couldn’t help but giggle with Ryder. “Do you want to explain to the castle’s heavily armed guards why you want to bring a dagger to meet the queen?”

Honeymaren grinned. “Eh, I could take them. Remember, we were clashing with your Lieutenant Mattias for a long time.” Elsa raised an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. “…Buuut, since you’re asking me so nicely, I’ll put my weapons back in the goahti.”

Honeymaren turned and began to walk away.

Elsa smiled, pleased, and raised her chin in a royal manner. “Thank you.”

Yelana didn’t look as pleased as she peered suspiciously after Honeymaren. She boomed, “ **ALL** of your weapons!”

Honeymaren visibly cringed and froze in her tracks.

Elsa blinked. “All?”

Honeymaren slowly turned on her heel and sighed. She bent down and pulled a large hunting knife out of her boot. Elsa jumped slightly and watched in awe as Honeymaren pulled another dagger from underneath her tunic. Honeymaren caught Elsa’s shocked expression and smirked. Elsa shook her head and crossed her arms with what was an attempt at a scolding frown, but it split into a huge smile.

Honeymaren jokingly bowed. “I’ll be right back, Princess.”

Elsa couldn’t help herself as Honeymaren walked away. “Remember: women curtsy, not bow!”

Honeymaren didn’t turn as she waved a handful of daggers and knives over her head in a playfully dismissive manner. Elsa giggled for far too much long before she caught herself. She felt a pair of eyes on her and turned to see Ryder grinning and Yelana staring with her eyebrows raised. Elsa cleared her throat and collected herself, face flushed.

Honeymaren always had that affect on her - turning Elsa into a giggling mess. At first she thought she just admired the girl and found her fun to be around, but…it was more than that. And from the way Ryder and the others would grin at her, she had a feeling they thought the same thing.

“Don’t encourage her,” Yelana interrupted Elsa’s thoughts. “I trust Honeymaren with our lives, but I don’t know if I can trust her with our reputation. We might not get a wedding invitation after I send these two with you.”

Ryder looked dejected and slouched. “We’ll be good, we promise!”

Elsa nodded sagely. “I trust them.”

Yelana didn’t say anything else, so Elsa went quiet. Ryder looked more and more anxious to go every second that passed. Finally, Honeymaren trudged back over to the three, weaponless.

“I feel naked,” she sighed. She lifted her hands and looked down at her slightly twitching fingers. “Ugh…”

Elsa felt herself flush again and shook her head of a creeping mental image of Honeymaren naked. What was wrong with her? Elsa looked back at Honeymaren who shook her hands and grinned at Elsa.

“You better make me a nice staff if any magical creatures or criminals attack us,” she teased.

Elsa laughed lightly. “Only the best for you.”

Ryder grabbed all of their bags from the ground with one hand, and picked up a large saddler with the other. “C’mon, Sis! Elsa is the Ice Spirit, no one is going to mess with us!”

He hurried over to the lake where Nokk stood, kicking its front leg showing with growing impatience. Nokk, at Elsa’s request, had also formed a longer, larger body so all three of them could ride together.

Yelana took Honeymaren’s hand and looked into her eyes. “Be careful, and be wise. You two are representing us, and, you are representing Elsa as well. You are her guests; do not make her look poorly. Also, do not forget to give Queen Anna our gifts and our thanks as well.”

Honeymaren nodded gravely. “Of course.” 

Elsa took Yelana’s other hand. “Thank you for letting them go with me.”

Yelana released their hands and waved them off as she turned to walk away. “Take them, please.”

She walked away back towards the center of the goahti.

Honeymaren chuckled nervously at Elsa. “She jokes.”

Elsa grinned and cocked an eyebrow. “Does she?”

Honeymaren thought for a second, and then concluded, “No.”

Elsa laughed and took Honeymaren’s hands. “Don’t worry, you two will do fine.”

Honeymaren smiled shyly and looked down at their hands. Elsa felt her heart pick up as Honeymaren’s fingers brushed soothingly over the back of Elsa’s hands. Honeymaren looked back up into Elsa’s now wide eyes and nodded, cheeks a beautiful shade of red.

“Woaaah!” Ryder’s voice yelped, followed by a gigantic splash.

Elsa and Honeymaren broke apart and whirled around to see Ryder sitting in the lake, soaked. The saddle and their bags were all strapped on Nokk’s translucent body.

“Reindeer really are easier,” Ryder concluded and then squeezed out the water from his hat.

+0+0+0+0+

Honeymaren felt restless and in pain as she tried to adjust herself for what seemed like the thousandth time in hours. To add to her discomfort, her cheeks stung from the wind whipping on her face. At first the wild ride was fun; Nokk would run up and down giant waves and they would all yell out and laugh. Then, as the hours went on, even Nokk seemed to be bored and began avoiding any rough waters for an easier ride.

Honeymaren held onto the saddle and glanced back to check on Ryder. Her brother was beginning to fall asleep, once in awhile snapping his eyes open wide and shaking his head. She turned her head to Elsa who rode in front, silent. Elsa had to be hurting from sitting directly on Nokk, but whenever Honeymaren suggested she scoot backwards to sit on the saddle, Elsa would politely refuse.

Suddenly, Ryder flopped over onto Honeymaren’s back, surprising the girl and sending her knocking into Elsa. She almost lost her balance and had no choice but to wrap herself around Elsa’s waist to stay upright. She felt Elsa jump and a burst of ice appeared underneath Elsa’s legs.

“Sorry! I’m sorry! Ryder fell asleep and---“ Honeymaren frantically apologized as she straightened herself up but still held Elsa’s waist for support.

Elsa’s voice shook with what Honeymaren presumed was surprise. “It’s okay!” She turned her head to Honeymaren, eyes huge and worried looking. “I’m sorry! I didn’t freeze anything on you, did I?”

Honeymaren checked around herself. “No, I’m good.”

Elsa sighed with relief, “Okay…”

Honeymaren suddenly noticed the bags under Elsa’s eyes. She looked tired, but knowing Elsa, she would never admit it. If she wanted to get Elsa to take a break, she had to think of another way than to point out how exhausted Elsa looked.

“Ryder’s asleep, do you think we can stop somewhere to let him rest?” Honeymaren asked. “Nighttime is coming soon, and I don’t know how long I can stay awake to support him.”

Elsa’s eyes darted to the sleeping Ryder slumped against Honeymaren’s back and raised her hand. A protective ice barrier went up around Ryder so he wouldn’t fall off. Nokk snorted but otherwise didn’t seem bothered by it.

“Okay, I know a spot not too far away,” Elsa answered with a small nod. She seemed relieved at the thought of stopping as well. “We should be there in a few minutes.”

Honeymaren nodded and inched away from the ice that now surrounded her brother and cradled him as he slept. She wondered why Elsa’s ice never felt too cold when she created useful items and toys for the children to play with. Elsa was amazing, that’s why, she thought with a smirk. With her new closeness to Elsa, she could feel Elsa’s soft hair brush against her face when it blew backwards. Elsa’s hair smelled nice, and so did the rest of her, like a chilly morning air.

[Wow, that’s not creepy at all,] her inner voice echoed dryly.

Honeymaren shook her head. The sky was growing dim as the sun disappeared under the horizon. Nokk’s head bobbed up and down as it ran at full speed.

Elsa’s skin was so clear and pale, what was her secret? What did it feel like? 

Honeymaren shook her head again and inwardly growled at herself. The combination of her huge crush on Elsa and her weird, increasingly creepy, inner thoughts were going to land her in trouble one day…and one of those days couldn’t be the days they were in Arendelle. Yelana was right – there was too much at stake for any mess-ups. Besides, there was no way Elsa would ever---

“We’re here,” Elsa’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

Honeymaren blinked and leaned to one side to look past Elsa and Nokk’s heads. They were now ascending up some rocks towards a grassy field that sat above the ocean. Nokk trotted towards a small pool of water in the middle of the seemingly endless field of green and hunched down to let them climb off. Honeymaren slid off first and then reached up to offer Elsa a hand down. Elsa smiled and took her hand as she carefully hopped off Nok’s back.

Honeymaren looked up at her snoring brother. “I’ll get the bags and the saddle once you take care of my brother.”

Elsa put out her hands and the ice surrounding Ryder shrunk and slipped underneath him to form a slide. He slowly slid down it onto the ground, still dead asleep on his back.

“Huh, he sleeps like Anna does,” Elsa said with a laugh.

Honeymaren removed the saddle and the bags from Nokk. She looked up at Nokk’s face that watched hers intensely. “Thank you, great Water Spirit.”

Nokk snorted and evaporated into the pool of water. Honeymaren turned to see Elsa smiling appreciatively at her, blue eyes gentle.

“Nokk likes being thanked,” Elsa finally said.

“Who doesn’t?” Honeymaren laughed and carried the bags and saddle away from the water. She dropped them off and then went back to drag her brother next to them. “This is a nice spot you found. Do you always stop here when you go to Arendelle?”

Elsa nodded and sat down next to their bags, looking up into the darkening sky. “Yes.”

Honeymaren rubbed her aching back and looked around the area. It was endless fields of grass behind them and the ocean infront of them down past the cliffs. She instinctively began to look for twigs and sticks to make a fire, but found none. The survival part of her brain began to worry and she searched her brain for another way for them to keep warm.

She looked down at the bags and supplies they brought and inwardly thanked her brother for refusing to go without his favorite fur blanket. Honeymaren leaned down and took the blanket from Ryder’s bag. She walked over to her sleeping brother and covered him with it. Ryder made a noise in his sleep and kicked a leg. Satisfied, Honeymaren turned and froze when she saw Elsa staring at her. Elsa’s bottom lip was drawn between her teeth, something the Ice Spirit did often that made Honeymaren ache.

“You’re a good sister,” Elsa finally said, her eyes darting to the ground shyly.

Honeymaren laughed as she knelt down next to Elsa to dig through the supplies. “Nah… I’m just making sure he doesn’t freeze to death. I mean, if he does, we would both need to go on the run, but I think Anna would hunt us down and probably kill me.”

Elsa jumped, eyes wide. “Oh! It doesn’t get too cold at night here, at least, from what I can tell… I don’t get cold…or at least, it doesn’t bother me… Sorry, I keep forgetting that I’m…well…I’m you know…and everyone else needs warmth and…”

Honeymaren smirked as the girl rambled: another cute thing Elsa did. She would often let Elsa awkwardly continue for her own amusement, unless Elsa was talking to someone else, of course, then Honeymaren would help the poor girl say what she wanted to say.

“It’s okay! I trust you, Elsa,” Honeymaren laughed.

Elsa sighed with relief and settled back down to look back up at the sky. Honeymaren smiled at Elsa and found her eyes roaming down the frail-looking woman’s body before she caught herself. She shook her head and looked down at a large blanket rolled up and strapped to a large bag: one of the tribe’s wedding gifts to Queen Anna. Honeymaren considered unraveling it, but decided against it, not wanting to get it dirty. Besides, she just said she trusted Elsa, how would it look if she brought out a huge blanket and wrapped it around herself now?

“I can’t wait for you to see,” Elsa suddenly said.

Honeymaren blinked and turned to her. “See what?”

Elsa turned her head to Honeymaren, eyes bright even as the world grew dark around them. “You’ll see.”

Elsa patted the empty space besides her and looked up at Honeymaren with an excited smile. Honeymaren brushed the dirt off her hands off and sat down next to Elsa. They sat in comfortable silence, shoulders touching. It was a position they often found themselves in when they were together. It just felt right and comfortable, like they had known each other forever when in reality it had just been a little more than two months.

“Look, see?” Elsa breathed out and pointed into the dark sky.

She looked up and saw the stars beginning to show. In this spot, the sky looked even larger than it did in the forest, and the stars looked brighter. Off in the distance, a rainbow of colors almost appeared to be blinking in the sky.

“Wow,” Honeymaren breathed. “I didn’t know the sky could look so different in different places…”

She turned to look at Elsa and found herself deep in the gaze of two, sad blue eyes. Elsa quickly looked away and down at the ground. Honeymaren felt her heart break and panic begin to set in her heart: did she say something wrong? Was she too close to Elsa? Before she could ask, Elsa let out a shaking breath.

After a moment of heavy silence between the two, Elsa lifted her head back up to look at the sky. “…For many years, I was locked in my room because of my powers. I hurt Anna once, and I never wanted to do it again. But…before that happened, the night sky was my favorite thing. Anna and I would try to count the stars and look for shooting ones to make a wish on. But, when I became isolated, the night sky made me feel more alone with all the stars up there, and no one to look at them with me.” She let out a shaky sigh. “So…yes, the sky can look different, depending on where you are and…how you feel.”

Honeymaren’s heart ripped into pieces. She had no idea what to say, and just wanted to grab Elsa in a hug. But, considering how Elsa reacted to the accidental hug before, she decided against it.

Elsa shut her eyes tightly and shook her head. “I-I apologize… I didn’t mean to ruin the moment.”

Honeymaren’s eyes searched Elsa’s sad face that still avoided hers.

“How does the sky look to you when you’re with us?” Honeymaren asked in almost a whisper.

Elsa sniffed and looked back up into the sky with a laugh that almost sounded like a cough. Honeymaren heard her heart beat loudly in her ears as Elsa’s teeth tugged her bottom lip.

Finally, Elsa turned with one of the biggest, gentlest smiles Honeymaren had ever seen. “It’s beautiful and it makes me so happy to see you all get excited by it. I took they sky for granted all those years...”

Honeymaren smiled back and wrapped an arm around Elsa’s waist. In response, Elsa scooted up against Honeymaren’s side and let her head rest on Honeymaren’s shoulder. Honeymaren smiled and looked up at the sky with her.

“Thank you for allowing us to see it,” Honeymaren said as she soothingly rubbed Elsa’s tiny back.

Elsa hummed sleepily and closed her eyes. Honeymaren continued to rub Elsa’s back in small, comforting circles before she heard Elsa’s breathing grew heavy and slow in sleep.

Honeymaren glanced down at Elsa’s sleeping face. She was the Ice Spirit, the one that united all the spirits of the Forest, but she was still human. Elsa seemed to forget that all the time, always pushing herself, and stubbornly denying her human needs like sleep or food. Before Anna left the Forest, she had pulled Honeymaren aside and begged her:

_I know my sister can protect herself from other magical or non-magical things and people…but...her worst enemy is herself. Please make sure she’s happy._

After growing up raised to protect the reindeer and her people from outside forces, Honeymaren wasn’t sure if she knew how to protect someone from themselves. But she promised Anna anyway, and hoped she could figure it out. Right now, though, she felt the need to stay awake and protect her sleeping companions from whatever was in the outside world. She subconsciously reached for her staff, but then remembered it wasn’t on her. She sighed lightly and looked back into the sky.

The image of Anna and Elsa as children counting the stars popped into her head. She smiled and began to count them herself.

+0+0+0+0+

_A young Elsa looked away and stuck out her tongue. “Bleh! Anna, gross! You’re too young to think about boys!”_

_A younger Anna laughed as she dropped her knight doll and her princess doll on the bed. “It’s funny to get you grossed out!”_

_Elsa sighed and watched Anna flop over and laugh hysterically. “I don’t ever want to get married.”_

_Anna instantly stopped laughing and sat up, mouth open. “Not even to a knight?!”_

_Elsa regarded to discarded knight doll with disdain. “No.”_

_She yelped as Anna shoved the knight doll in her face, making kissing noises. Elsa finally fell over onto her side and laughed while Anna continued to shove the knight into her face._

_“Anna, stop!” Elsa laughed._

_Then, a familiar voice seeped into the memory._

_“Ryder, stop rubbing that in her face! Let her sleep.”_

Elsa woke with a start and a full-body jump, realizing she had fallen asleep. The next thing she realized was that she was lying on a lap, arms curled around a strong thigh. This time she jumped and sat up with a blush. Honeymaren turned her head and smiled at Elsa. Ryder was also there, leaning over Elsa with a leaf in his hand.

“See? You woke her up,” Honeymaren sighed and snatched the leaf away.

Elsa attempted to collect herself and hide her blush behind her long, loose white hair. “No…I uh…I had a dream that woke me up.”

“Good timing then, Ryder woke up a few minutes ago and has been whining that he wants to get going,” Honeymaren said with a grin.

Ryder sat next to Honeymaren and sulked at his sister’s teasing. “I was not whining – more like…anxiously requesting.”

Elsa barely heard the siblings; her heart was pounding in her head and ears. She had fallen asleep on Honeymaren’s shoulder, that much she knew, but how did she get so curled up and comfy on her lap? And did Honeymaren mind? Why wasn’t she saying anything? Elsa looked back at Honeymaren’s face as the siblings began exchanging playful punches on each others’ shoulders.

Did Honeymaren stay up all night to watch over them…like a knight would?

Her heart fluttered in her chest at the image of Honeymaren sitting stoically in the grass, watching over Elsa and Ryder.

“Did you sleep?” Elsa asked Honeymaren.

Honeymaren hesitated and shifted her eyes. “Yeah, a little.”

Elsa raised her eyebrow. “I’ve seen you lie to Yelana before so I know when you’re lying.”

Honeymaren laughed and waved a hand. “I’m fine, don’t worry! I’m use to staying up to watch the reindeer. I’ll get some sleep in that royal palace of yours.”

Elsa laughed with a shake of her head. “Well…okay. We’ll get going as soon as I wake Nokk.” She stood up and looked at Honeymaren for a moment before turning away shyly. “Thank you…for looking out for me…I mean---us.”

Ryder nudged Honeymaren with his shoulder. “Yeah, thanks Mom.”

Honeymaren shoved him away with a laugh. Elsa giggled at the two as they began to play fight before walking away to get Nokk. When she was far enough from the siblings, she shivered, but not from the cold, and hugged herself.

She was definitely in love, and definitely in trouble.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is a bit boring…it sets up a lot of stuff for future chapters. Thank you all for reading and for the nice (and funny!) comments. I also got the ‘Frozen 2’ junior novel that named some of the characters that we didn’t know the names of in the movie, including Kai, the advisor who scared Elsa at the beginning of ‘Frozen 2.’

When Nokk got closer to Arendelle’s docks, Elsa slowed its pace and stopped in the middle of the water.

“Woah-ho-ho-ho!” Ryder exclaimed as he leaned over to one side.

Arendelle’s docks bustled with energy, people and lots of ships coming in and out of the docks. Elsa felt pride swell in her chest: trade was exploding and the new merchants were eagerly awaiting new Northuldran goods. Part of Elsa dreaded the new contact because of history with indigenous people and "civilization." However, she knew Anna would keep a handle on things, and, she thought smugly, if anyone dared to try anything to her new Northuldran family, they would have to deal with her and the other spirits.

Honeymaren beamed. “The buildings are bigger than I imagined! How were they built?”

“Look at that spiky-looking building!” Ryder exclaimed as he pointed towards Arendelle castle.

Elsa smiled broadly. “That 'spiky' building is the castle.”

Honeymaren smirked at Elsa. “It looks a lot different than what Anna drew for us.”

Elsa giggled at the memory. “My sister is not the best artist in the world…”

Poor Anna tried her best to explain what a castle looked like to a group of Northuldran the night they first arrived in the Forest. But, after much confusion and more questions than Anna could answer, she finally resorted to a crude, blocky drawing of the castle. Looking back, Elsa could’ve recreated a miniature version of the castle with her ice magic to better demonstrate, but she was distracted at that moment.

A baby reindeer, spooked by the activity and excitement Elsa and the others had created amongst the tribe, stood trembling in the middle of the crowds, looking to and fro for its mother. Most of the reindeer had disappeared with Ryder and Kristoff and the baby was most likely left behind. Just as Elsa began to approach it to comfort it, Honeymaren appeared and squatted down to it. She led it to the fire, sat down on a log, and eased it down on the ground to relax. Elsa was memorized as she watched Honeymaren whisper reassurances to it and stroke its soft fur. Before Elsa could even think about what she was doing, she found herself on the log next to Honeymaren. It was completely out of character for her to approach anyone, especially someone her own age, but she had felt inexplicably drawn to Honeymaren.

Elsa snapped out of her thoughts when she felt Honeymaren’s body lift itself up on the saddle stirrups and hover over her protectively. Elsa looked up to see Honeymaren stiff and with eyes peering ahead.

“Someone is approaching us,” Honeymaren said in a low voice.

Elsa turned to where Honeymaren was looking and saw a rowboat headed by Lieutenant Mattias floating towards them. She waved at him and turned back to Honeymaren.

“It’s Lieutenant Mattias come to pick us up. I don’t like bringing Nokk too close to the kingdom, just in case,” Elsa explained.

Honeymaren rolled her eyes and her lips twitched. “Oh. _Him_.”

Elsa cocked her head, confused. Ryder chuckled and patted his sister’s back.

“Be nice, Sis. Remember – we’re here to make everyone else look good,” Ryder reminded her with a laugh.

Honeymaren sunk back down onto Nokk. “…Fine.”

The rowboat drifted to a halt on the side of Nokk. Nokk turned its massive head and snorted down at the pair of soldiers sitting at the rows. They cowered under its watery gaze but Elsa stroked Nokk's head and it turned its head away from the now relieved soldiers. Mattias held up a hand in greeting as she carefully made his way to the side of the rowboat.

“Ahoy!” he called out in a joking manner.

Elsa smiled and motioned to Ryder and Honeymaren. “Mattias, you remember Ryder and Honeymaren?”

Ryder gave the older man an easy smile. “Ahoy!” He glanced at Elsa, unsure. “Uh… Is that an Arendelle greeting?”

Mattias chuckled as he nodded at the two rowers to get their bags from the saddle. “It’s a sailors’ greeting. We just say ‘hello’ like everyone else.”

Mattias turned to look at Honeymaren. She glowered down at him with twisted lips and hard golden-brown eyes that seemed to blaze like the sun.

“Honeymaren,” he greeted hesitantly. “Nice to see you again?”

Honeymaren didn’t reply, eyes unflinching from his. Ryder nervously poked his elbow into her ribs.

Honeymaren frowned at her brother and then turned to Mattias. “Sure, as long as you and your soldiers don’t try to steal our food here too.”

Mattias rubbed his jaw. “I don’t think I’ll ever try that again. I like the rest of my teeth…”

Elsa nervously looked back and forth between them. “Please, Honeymaren. That was in the past; let us start over again…okay?”

Honeymaren didn’t move her eyes away from Mattias, so Mattias cleared his throat and reached out his hand to Elsa.

“Here, let me help you down,” Mattias offered.

Elsa accepted the outreached hand, slid off Nokk and carefully sat down in the rowboat. Mattias offered his hand to Ryder who grabbed it with a grin and practically jumped off Nokk, his movement rocking the boat violently. Once it steadied, and Ryder sheepishly apologized, Mattias turned to reach out to Honeymaren but was greeted by an empty space. He blinked and turned to see Honeymaren already seated next to her brother. Mattias sighed and took off the saddle before signaling the rowers to take them to shore.

Once on shore, Mattias instructed his men to take their bags and the saddle to the castle. Ryder stumbled around the docks, eyes huge and mouth wide open, trying to take everything in. Honeymaren also looked in awe, but was much more aware of her surroundings than her brother.

“Queen Anna is awaiting all of you at the castle,” Mattias announced as he reached out and pulled back Ryder before he collided with a sailor lugging fish.

Elsa nodded. “We should not keep her waiting for too long.”

Ryder turned to Elsa and hung his arms. “Aw, no exploring?”

Elsa smiled gently. “I’m sure Kristoff and Sven would love to give you a tour later.”

Elsa felt like she was hatching an evil scheme, pairing off Ryder with Kristoff so she could be alone with Honeymaren. It was selfish, for sure, but ever since Honeymaren agreed to go to Arendelle with her, she ceaselessly daydreamed about showing her around and watching Honeymaren experience new things for the first time. Honeymaren wasn’t as excitable as Ryder was, but her large, beautiful eyes clearly showed when she was emotional.

Elsa felt her magic begin to rise in her chest, and she had to take a calming breath so she wouldn’t create ice under her feet. She was getting too excited about spending alone time with Honeymaren…as if it was a… _date_.

Ryder grinned and nudged Honeymaren. “This is going to be great! We gotta show Kristoff reindeer sledding too!”

Elsa blinked rapidly. “H-Honeymaren too?”

Ryder and Honeymaren turned to Elsa with curious looks.

“Well, yeah, Honeymaren wants to see Arendelle too,” Ryder said slowly as Honeymaren covered her mouth to yawn.

Elsa twisted her fingers together and looked down at her feet. “Well, I planned an outing for us…”

[An outing?!] Elsa’s inner voice screeched. [You might as well have said a date!]

Ryder leaned backwards with a grin and slapped his palm against his forehead. “Ooooh, I get it!”

Elsa flushed and looked up frantically. “Y-you do?!”

Ryder nodded. “Men with men to do male stuff, and women with women to do female stuff, I gotcha.”

Elsa released a huge breath of relief. “Exactly…”

Honeymaren looked at Elsa, mouth slightly open with interest and her thick eyebrows raised high in her brow. An outing with Elsa? Just the two of them? She chewed on the inside of her cheek in an attempt to hide the excitement on her face.

[Elsa doesn’t like you the way you like her, so don’t be creepy. You’re here for your people anyway,] Honeymaren reminded herself.

Honeymaren spoke through another giant yawn. “Sounds good to me.” She grinned at Ryder. “I wasn’t looking forward to hours of reindeer talk anyway.”

Ryder laughed, “You’re going to miss me.”

Honeymaren stole a glance at Elsa. As much as she loved her brother and found it fun to hang out with him, the idea of discovering Arendelle with Elsa was an opportunity she would be crazy not to take. She smirked at the sight of Elsa looking happy but anxious at Honeymaren’s reply.

“Maybe a little,” she teased back at Ryder. She felt another yawn escape her. “Sorry.”

Elsa’s face filled with concern. “Oh, I forgot… Honeymaren, you should rest for the rest of the day at the castle. We’ll get you a room, draw a bath, and---”

Honeymaren waved her hands infront of her. “Elsa, Elsa! I’m fine! Don’t worry.”

Ryder grinned. “I’m sure she’ll be more awake after we eat something at the castle?”

He held his stomach to emphasize what his hunger.

Elsa laughed and nodded. “Of course.”

Honeymaren put her hand on her hip. “Okay, first Anna, then food, and then we can all take a tour. Sound good, Your Majesty?”

Elsa tried not to look too excited as her heart thumped happily in her chest. “It is agreed then. Let’s go meet with my sister. Mattias, please lead the way.”

Mattias gave her a courteous half bow and motioned for Ryder and Honeymaren to follow. 

+0+0+0+0+

Throughout their walk to the castle, the siblings had a hard time keeping their focus on following Elsa and Mattias. There were so many people, most of them gawking right back at them, and so many new things that caught their attention. Although Elsa wanted to meet with Anna as soon as possible, she allowed them to stop once in awhile. She would smile and watch as the two siblings experienced new things. Mattias would proudly explain everything to them, just as excited as they were considering he spent decades in a forest and was just as new to some of things as they were.

As they finally approached the castle, Elsa noticed how there were no longer crowds of people and things to look at…just an enormous, cold castle guarded by faceless guards. It suddenly occurred to her just how sterile and manmade everything about her previous home was, especially compared to the Forest. However, the siblings didn’t seem as moody and reflective as Elsa was being at the moment.

“It’s even BIGGER up close!” Ryder proclaimed, leaning all the way back in an attempt to look at the entire castle. “Does it touch the sun?”

Elsa turned to the siblings and giggled as the sight. Ryder leaned all the way back and stared up at the castle with his mouth hanging open. Elsa then looked at Honeymaren whose eyes were huge and an impressed, open-mouthed smile on her face.

“I’m going to climb it,” Honeymaren simply said.

Elsa’s eyes almost popped out of her head. “Excuse me?!”

Honeymaren slowly walked over to the castle and looked around it. “Oh yeah…I definitely can get a good grip here…”

Ryder applauded. “Do it! Do it!”

Mattias was excited too. “I’ll give you my lucky dagger if you do!”

Elsa whirled around to Mattias and Ryder. “Stop encouraging her!”

Honeymaren licked her lips and continued her slow approach to the castle. Suddenly, an ice wall shot up and blocked her way. She was taken aback at first, but then grinned and turned to a very scared looking Elsa.

“Honeymaren, I swear, I will freeze the castle walls if you even try!” Elsa’s voice cracked. “It’s far too dangerous!”

Honeymaren laughed and backed away from the castle, hands in the air. “Okay, okay…”

Elsa sighed with relief and held her pounding heart. She would have to tell the castle guards to be on the lookout now. Honeymaren walked past her, eyes twinkling and looking into Elsa’s, and her classic Honeymaren smirk on her face. Elsa rolled her eyes at her and tried to compose herself.

Ryder whispered behind Elsa, “You’re going to try again later though, right?”

Mattias whispered, “I want to watch too.”

Elsa stomped her foot and spun around to them to see the three watching her with matching teasing grins. “Absolutely not!”

Mattias walked to the front of the group, clearing his throat through his laughing. “This way, please.”

Elsa turned to Honeymaren who attempted to look as innocent as possible while Ryder chortled beside her. Elsa put out two fingers, jabbed them at Honeymaren and then at her eyes in an ‘I’m watching you’ motion. Although the Northuldran had never seen that motion before, Honeymaren and Ryder instantly understood and grinned.

“Ooo, she’s watching you,” Ryder teased as Elsa turned on her heel and followed Mattias. He made sure Elsa was far enough away to not hear him and then winked at his sister. “I’m sure you like that, though…”

Honeymaren playfully punched his arm, “Shut your mouth...” They followed after Mattias and Elsa. “…Of course I do.”

+0+0+0+0+

Kristoff greeted the group in the throne room, dressed in a black collared shirt with grey pants and his heavy boots on his feet. His hair was unkempt and a shadow of a beard and mustache on his face. Mattias excused himself and left them to greet each other.

“Ugh, I’m so glad you’re all here,” Kristoff croaked as he rubbed the heavy bags under his eyes.

“Kristoff!” Ryder beamed with his arms in the air. “You look…” He faltered. “…Terrible?”

Honeymaren shot him a glare and Ryder shrugged at her sheepishly.

Kristoff offered them a smile. “Yeah, I know. Sorry, it’s really good to see you all again but it’s been nothing but chaos here.”

“Chaos?” Elsa asked, concerned. “But last time I was here, you two had everything under control.”

Kristoff snorted, “That was before the wedding planning began.”

Honeymaren and Ryder looked confused.

“Wedding planning?” Honeymaren asked. “What’s there to plan about a wedding?”

Kristoff nodded empathetically. “That’s what I’m saying!”

He paused when Sven entered the room, a cup of hot coffee carefully carried by the handle in his mouth.

Kristoff accepted the coffee as if it were an absolutely normal thing for a reindeer to do. “Thanks, Sven.” He took a sip and then looked back at the reindeer. “No sugar?”

Sven snorted and glowered at Kristoff. Kristoff shrugged his shoulders in defeat and looked back at the group. Ryder rushed over to Sven and began to pet and gush over him in a low voice.

Elsa explained to Honeymaren, “A royal wedding in Arendelle is a lot of work. You need invitations, seating arrangements are especially important so as not to seat someone who wants to start a war with someone else, decorations, accommodations for guests…”

Kristoff rolled his eyes and continued for her, “…The wedding dress, the wedding suit, the food, the drinks…”

Honeymaren looked dizzy. “Sounds…busy…and unromantic?”

Elsa was taken aback. “Oh…I…suppose it does.”

Kristoff looked at Honeymaren with surprise written on his face. “Are you the romantic type, Honeymaren?”

Honeymaren actually blushed and looked away. “N-no…it’s just…it sounds like there’s too much focus on everything else but the couple.”

Honeymaren was absolutely a romantic, and she absolutely hated it. Weddings and the birth of children in her tribe made her long and ache. She would try to fight her feelings down by teasing her more openly emotional brother at the events, but afterwards she would lie in her bed and relive the celebrations in her mind. Anna’s wedding would be a problem for her because she knew she would be up for many nights, trying to get the image of Elsa and her getting married. Already she felt her heart ache as she put her hand to her chest.

[Control yourself. You are a representative of your people, think about that instead,] she thought to herself.

Meanwhile, Elsa ruminated what Honeymaren had said in her head. Anna deserved a romantic fairy tale wedding, and here she was being selfish, wanting to get the planning over as soon as possible so she could return to the Forest again. By the looks of Kristoff alone, what should be the happy, exciting days before the wedding was probably filled with fighting and worrying. If Kristoff was taking it this bad, she could only imagine Anna.

Anna.

“Where is Anna?” Elsa asked Kristoff. “I heard she was waiting for us.”

Kristoff shook his head with a grin. “I haven’t been able to find her through the mess in the library.”

Elsa blinked. “A mess in the library?”

+0+0+0+0+

Kristoff looked even more exhausted as he pushed open the doors to the library and stepped aside for the others to come in. Elsa stepped past him but stopped in her tracks and gawked at the piles of papers and envelopes in the room that reached almost to her waist. A few of the maids tried to make their way through it and one fell and disappeared underneath.

“Oh my…” Elsa breathed, eyes wide and searching the room.

Ryder leaned over to Kristoff and said out of the side of his mouth, “It looks like Gale went on a rampage in here.”

“If only,” Kristoff sighed.

A particularly large pile moved by an antique desk. “Kristoff?! Is Elsa here?!”

Kristoff called back to Anna’s voice. “Ryder and Honeymaren too!”

The pile exploded with papers and envelopes flying every which way, revealing a disheveled Anna in her golden-brown dress and her crown stuck halfway down her loose hair.

“Hold on! I’m coming!” Anna panted frantically as she made her way over to them.

She almost fell over but caught herself and practically leaped into Elsa to give her a bear hug.

“Anna! Your hair! Your…everything!” Elsa said as she fussed over her sister.

Ryder nudged Honeymaren with his shoulder and whispered, “I think we should bow? Should we bow?”

Honeymaren eyed the maids who had stopped what they were doing to stare at the two siblings curiously. “I think we should.”

She removed her hat and Ryder followed, squeezing his hat in his hands. Honeymaren went into position to curtsy and Ryder straightened to ready his bow.

“Your majest---“ Honeymaren began politely. Anna ran straight into her for a hug. “---eeeeeee!” Honeymaren gasped as Anna squeezed the air out of her lungs.

Ryder was more prepared for his hug, accepting Anna with open arms. “Good to see you too!”

Anna latched onto Kristoff’s arm and bounced on her feet. “I’m so glad you’re all here! I need help!”

Elsa looked around the room, stunned. “That…is an understatement…” She leaned over and picked up a random piece of paper. “Anna! These are the invitations! You can’t send crumpled wedding invitations!”

Honeymaren picked one up curiously and looked down at it with Ryder hovering over her. She squinted at the strange letters on the paper. Honeymaren and Ryder couldn’t read the language very well, and what little they knew was from Yelana who had kept some letters exchanged between the previous Northuldran elder and Elsa’s grandfather. She handed it to Elsa who accepted it with an annoyed sigh.

“I know, I knooow! We were doing well at first, filling them out and putting them in envelopes one at a time, but then we kept thinking of more people who would be offended if they weren’t invited, even if they would never show up, and then I was like ‘why bother’ so then I threw some out but then I picked them back out and---!!!” Anna somehow rambled out without a single breath.

Elsa put up her hand and Anna’s mouth instantly shut. Honeymaren and Ryder exchanged nervous glances while Kristoff held his breath.

Elsa was annoyed, that was for sure, but it wasn’t at Anna, exactly. The wedding was already getting out of hand, and she knew the tension between Arendelle and some of the other rulers was partly her fault for creating a never-ending winter. She naively thought making Anna the queen would fix all of that, but in-fighting was just politics as usual. She wished things could be simple, like they were in the Forest. Elsa was newly convinced the world would be better off that way.

Anna meekly spoke up. “Elsa?”

Elsa turned back to the group who all waited for her to say something.

Elsa turned to the maids who stood at attention while halfway buried in the papers. “Let us take a break from this part of the planning. My sister and I will discuss the invitations some other time.”

The maids looked at Anna for confirmation and when Anna nodded her head, they looked visibly relieved. They bowed their heads and carefully made their way out of the room, stealing glances at Honeymaren and Ryder on their way out.

“Are you sure it’s okay to take a break from…this?” Anna asked uneasily, motioning to the mess in the room. “Don’t get me wrong, I would _love_ to, but…”

Elsa raised her chin and elegantly gestured to Honeymaren and Ryder. “We have diplomats here as our guests today who are both hungry from the journey. Would it not be rude to ignore them?”

Anna’s eyes brightened. “Oh! Right! We don’t want to be rude!” She cleared her throat and attempted to straighten her hair as best as she could, but failed miserably. “Shall we go to the dining hall?”

She led everyone out of the library with Ryder and Honeymaren trailing behind.

“What’s a dining hall?” Ryder whispered to Honeymaren.

Honeymaren shrugged. “It sounds like it’s going to be big like everything else in Arendelle.”

Ryder rubbed his stomach. “I hope Arendelle has big portions too.”

+0+0+0+0+

The dining hall was indeed big, and so was the table that stretched across most of it. Ryder and Honeymaren gaped at everything in the spacious room.

“How can you all hear whoever is sitting on that side of the table?” Ryder asked, pointing all the way down to the other side of the table.

“We can’t,” Anna replied with a giggle at Ryder’s enthusiasm.

Ryder turned and dashed down to the other side of the table and cupped his hands over his mouth. “Sis! Sis! Can you hear me from this side?!”

Honeymaren cringed as a few of the butlers stationed at the entrances stared. “…I’m going to pretend I can’t.”

Elsa chuckled at Honeymaren’s embarrassed expression. “It will amuse him anyway.”

Kristoff hollered, “We can’t hear you! What?!”

After a brief silence, Ryder called back, “What?!”

Anna smiled and rolled her eyes at the boys while Kristoff laughed.

“It seems so…impersonal…compared to our tribe all huddled together when we eat,” Honeymaren observed.

Anna grinned. “Well, it comes in handy when you have people you don’t want to speak to over. They sit all the way down on the other side.”

Elsa hid a laugh. “Anna…that is absolutely terrible of you.”

Anna laughed, “Please, you did it too!”

Ryder returned to their side with Olaf limp in his arms. “Hey, uh, your snowman was sulking under the table.”

Olaf let out a sigh as he hung in Ryder’s arms. He perked up and waved at everyone. “Oh, hi! I’m so glad to see you all!” He paused and glowered downwards again. “But I don’t want to show it. I want to be sad and angry!”

Elsa looked horrified. “Olaf? What happened to you? Are you okay?”

Kristoff crossed his arms and shrugged. “He’s been…moody?”

Olaf dropped down from Ryder’s arms and walked over to her. “I want to hug you, but I’m afraid everyone will laugh at me and think I’m uncool!” He paused. “But I’m going to hug you reluctantly and like it very much!”

He hugged her legs as Elsa looked back at Anna, bewildered.

Honeymaren put her hand over her mouth to hide her laughter at Elsa’s expression. “He sounds like a teenager.”

Olaf brightened and looked up at Honeymaren. “Gasp! A teenager! Yes! That’s it! I must be approaching my teenage phase!”

Honeymaren leaned down with a huge grin. “Tell Elsa…” She whispered something where Olaf’s ear would be and pulled away. “Got it?”

Elsa looked at Honeymaren suspiciously. “……What did you…?”

Olaf turned, pointed, and gleefully proclaimed. “You’re not my real mom! I don’t have to listen to you!”

Elsa’s jaw dropped as Kristoff, Ryder and Honeymaren exploded into laughter. Anna joined but quickly stopped when Elsa whirled around, face bright red and her lips drawn into her mouth to form a tight line. Seeing Anna fight back her laughter with all her might finally broke Elsa and she laughed too.

Olaf smiled brightly at everyone. “Wow! I’m a real teenager now!”

“Very funny,” Elsa scolded Honeymaren with a smirk, pulling on the Northuldran girl’s long braid.

Honeymaren was forced backwards at the tug. “I thought so.”

Meanwhile, Anna watched the two and stopped laughing. A huge grin formed on her face as she rapidly poked Kristoff’s back and nodded at the two laughing girls. Kristoff smirked down at her and rolled his eyes at her excitement.

“Excuse the interruption,” a male voice said from behind them.

They turned to see Kai, one of the castle advisors, standing behind them. He looked at Elsa and then nodded with a smile. Elsa smiled back and bowed her head with her silent return greeting.

“Lunch will be ready soon. Please, take your seats,” he continued.

He turned and walked out of the room and into the kitchen. Anna sat at the head of the table while Kristoff and Elsa sat on either side of her. Sven took to lying on the ground directly behind Kristoff. Olaf sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Family togetherness,” he sighed dramatically. He smiled and continued brightly, “I’m going to pretend I hate it when I actually love it and love all of you!”

Elsa looked at Anna and whispered, “I hope this is a quick phase.” She got up, picked up Olaf, and sat him down next to Anna instead. “Here, sit next to Anna. She’ll cheer you up.”

“Uuuugh not-real-moooom,” Olaf complained with an overdramatic groan. He paused and looked back up at Elsa with large, loving eyes. “I love you.”

Elsa sighed and sat down to nurse her slowly growing headache. Honeymaren sat down next to her while Ryder sat next to Kristoff.

Elsa glanced up at Honeymaren as she massaged her forehead. “You’re lucky I am not queen, I would have banished you to the other side of the table for this.”

Honeymaren smirked and winked at Elsa. Elsa’s fingers instantly froze and she looked away in an attempt to fight back a blush. However, the attempt failed when she was greeted by Anna’s huge, goofy, fangirl-ish smile. Elsa cleared her throat and glared at Anna. Anna stuck out her tongue at Elsa.

“So!” Kristoff broke the silence. “Did you two get a tour yet?”

Ryder replied, “We kind of looked around, but we didn’t want to keep Anna waiting so we rushed here.”

Kristoff grinned at Ryder. “Don’t worry, I’ll show you two around. Wait until you see Sven’s new stables.”

Sven perked up and nodded at the pair.

Kristoff spoke in his Sven voice. “I got a nice new bed of hay too!”

Ryder beamed. “I can’t wait!”

Elsa frantically interjected. “Honeymaren is coming with me later!”

Everyone paused and turned to Elsa with surprise. Elsa realized how frantic she sounded and blushed harder than before.

Honeymaren teased, “We’re going to do girl things away from your boy things.”

Elsa felt her face turn to fire. “R-right…”

“Girl things…” Anna sighed happily.

Elsa glared at her and Anna giggled.

“Speaking of which, I’ve been thinking, Elsa,” Anna said. “I want to buy my wedding dress from a town shop.”

Elsa raised her eyebrows. “From a shop? The castle’s tailors aren’t going to be happy…”

“I know, but, wouldn’t be fun to go together and try on different dresses? I’m sure whoever we buy the dress from would appreciate the business!” Anna explained. She smiled brightly. “Come on, Elsa…! It’ll be fun!”

Elsa sighed but smiled. “Well, if that’s what would make you happy, then of course.”

“Yesss!” Anna cheered.

Honeymaren suggested, “We can go today if you two want.”

Ryder nodded. “Oh! That’s a good idea! Honeymaren is really honest so---”

“NO!” both sisters shouted in unison.

Honeymaren jumped in her seat and stared at the two with wide eyes. Ryder yelped and dropped in his seat to partially hide under the table. Kristoff face palmed at looked between his fingers at the two sisters and shook his head. The two realized how insane they sounded and straightened in their seats.

“Sorry, I mean, no, I cannot,” Anna said in her best queenly voice. “Too many queen things to do. Yup. Queenly things…that need…queenly attention… Yes…”

Honeymaren blinked her eyes to get over her shock. “Oh, uh, okay.”

Ryder slowly rose back into his seat, eyes darting from Elsa to Anna nervously.

Elsa cleared her throat and brushed her hair behind her ears. “But all three of us going at a later date sounds like fun.”

Kristoff nodded and quickly interjected before things could get more awkward. “Okay! Sounds like our wedding preparations are going to go much more smoothly now.” He turned to the still slightly terrified Ryder. “Maybe Ryder and I can help out too.”

Ryder looked visibly relieved. “Sure!”

Anna reached over and patted Kristoff’s hand that had removed itself from his forehead. He turned his head, smiled at her and Anna smiled back.

Elsa took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She was losing control already. Honeymaren must think she was insane now. Elsa peeked over at Honeymaren who didn’t seem fazed as she watched the activity in the kitchen. Elsa smiled to herself.

Honeymaren stared ahead into the kitchen. She wasn’t paying attention to anything going inside it, but just staring. Elsa and Anna were acting so strange about their future “outing.” She turned her head to Elsa. She momentarily caught Elsa looking at her before the pale girl looked away to Olaf who was busy trying to style his “hair” over one eye.

“Olaf, now what are you doing?” Elsa sighed.

“Leave me alone!” Olaf cried out, throwing one arm over his eyes. He dropped the arm and looked up at Elsa with a smile. “Can you help me style my hair? I want to try out the dark and mysterious look!”

Elsa groaned and Anna giggled.

Mattias entered, holding the bags that Elsa, Honeymaren and Ryder had brought with them. "I got your bags, what should I do with them?"

"Oh! I forgot!" Ryder exclaimed and shot up out of his seat.

He rushed over to Mattias, grabbed the enormous, rolled blanket that Yelana had given them to gift Anna and Kristoff. He jogged over to Anna's side and Honeymaren slowly joined his side. He squatted down on one knee and offered the gift.

"Our tribe made you a wedding blanket," Honeymaren explained.

Anna beamed and accepted the blanket. "Ooo! It's gorgeous!" She unrolled it and a doll-like figure that were wrapped in the blanket dropped to the floor. Anna gasped, put the blanket down on her lap, and picked it up. "Oh! Is this a doll?! How cute!"

Ryder looked up at Honeymaren, confused. Honeymaren looked equally befuddled.

"Um...it's...a fertility idol," Honeymaren explained slowly. "...Do you know what that is?"

Elsa choked on her own spit and froze the entire table in a thin layer of ice. Kristoff's entire face turned red and he whipped his head to the silent Anna.

Anna blinked and then looked like she understood. "Oh! It's going to help our crops be fertile this season?"

Kristoff groaned in his throat and Elsa began to violently cough.

Honeymaren had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from making a dirty joke.

Ryder looked innocently crestfallen. "Oh...you don't know? I told Yelana our customs were probably too different for this..."

Kristoff slowly put his hand on one of Anna's shoulders and gently pulled her over to him so he could whisper into her ear. After whispering, Anna let out a shriek and dropped the idol on the floor, face turning ten shades of red. Ryder looked up at her, stunned, and Honeymaren had to bite down on her lower lip to keep from laughing at the poor girl's expression.

Anna quickly picked it back up and grinned nervously at Ryder. "T-thank you...so much...! I.......I guess.......we'll......use it.......?"

Ryder brightened again. "Great! It's customary for newly weds to place it on their beds and pray to it for a child before---"

Anna nodded a little too much and too fast as her fingers twitched on the idol.

Honeymaren gently took the idol and blanket away from Anna, trying not to grin too widely. "Okay, Ryder. She gets the idea."

Anna sighed with relief.

Elsa stuttered loudly, "I...I...I just don't think...Anna is too young for...and..."

Ryder stood back up and looked at everyone. "...Did...we do something to offend you all?"

"No!" Anna barked, hands holding her cheeks. "T-thank you. Please tell Yelana thank you too..."

Kristoff caught Honeymaren's eyes and smirked with a shake of his head, cheeks colored red.

Honeymaren handed the idol to Mattias who stood frozen in place, mouth wide open. When the idol landed in his hands, he fumbled it as if it were diseased, causing Honeymaren to grin at him. She tossed the blanket at his face and strode back to her seat, satisfied.

Mattias pulled the blanket away from his face and then bowed courteously. "I'll...um...put these in your room."

Honeymaren sat back down and looked down at the slowly thawing table. Elsa turned her head to Honeymaren, cheeks a beautiful shade of red, and thanked her weakly. Honeymaren nodded and smirked to herself: today was already proving to be interesting.


	3. Chapter 3

Elsa sat at the large, antique vanity in her room. Right after what was one of the most awkward lunches ever endured, Elsa was eager to go on her “outing” with Honeymaren. However, before they went anywhere, she needed to change her clothing and her hair. She brushed her hair in preparation for tying it back into its old braid. Her new loose hairstyle felt nice and freeing, but she decided to put her hair in a braid so she could go out into town without worrying about it getting messy. She glanced into the reflection at Honeymaren who sat on Elsa’s bed.

The angle of the mirror made it difficult to really know where Honeymaren was looking, but right now she watched Elsa comb her hair. Before, Honeymaren spent her time slowly creeping around the room like a cat in an unfamiliar space. She would reach out to something in the room and ask Elsa permission to look at it or pick it up. Elsa smiled at the memory of Honeymaren staring into her closet full of dresses. She wished Honeymaren had agreed to try one on.

“Are you sure you don’t want to change too? I have lots of clothing,” Elsa asked once again.

Honeymaren glanced at the open closet and then looked back at Elsa. “After you showed me what a ‘corset’ was and how you wear it, no thank you.”

Elsa giggled as she remembered the horrified look on Honeymaren’s face. “I told you, you don’t have to wear one.”

Honeymaren shrugged one shoulder, eyes looking down and off to the side. “I’m sorry, everything just looks so different. I would just feel like I’m wearing a costume.” She let out a self-conscious laugh. “I’m not exactly the pretty feminine type; ask any of the Northuldran men what they think.”

Elsa turned her head with surprise. Honeymaren, the brave and bold Honeymaren, the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, thought _she_ wouldn’t look good in her clothing? The men in her tribe were insane.

“I think you would look beautiful in them,” Elsa replied before she could stop herself.

Honeymaren felt her entire body freeze: beautiful. Her brain, normally quick with producing words, broke and she could hear every cell screaming frantically. She looked up at Elsa whose head quickly turned back to the mirror, and then looked down as her face grew hot.

Elsa, meanwhile, had a similar reaction. Her body locked up and her eyes went wide. She cautiously turned her head to look at Honeymaren who stared down at the floor, her tan face flushed.

“My apologizes! I didn’t mean that you don’t look beautiful now, I meant that, with a dress, you would look good, but, you always look good and---“ Elsa frantically rambled, feeling her magic begin to creep down into her limbs.

“Elsa,” Honeymaren interrupted with an embarrassed smile. “It’s okay, I understand. …Thanks.”

Elsa breathed out a cold breath that fogged a spot on her mirror with ice crystals. “Y…you’re welcome.”

Honeymaren felt a familiar, magical chill in the air and looked back up at Elsa to make sure she was alright. When she saw Elsa rubbing a spot on the mirror, Honeymaren felt relieved.

“I will make you try on something before we leave Arendelle,” Elsa finally said teasingly.

Honeymaren let out a short laugh. “Hah! You can try.”

Elsa raised her eyebrow at Honeymaren’s reflection in the mirror with a smile: she was up for that challenge. Honeymaren got up, eyes suddenly bright as they stared at something. Elsa knew that look – she was curious about something. She saw Honeymaren reach for something, but then pull her hand back. The Northuldran girl’s reflection turned and looked at Elsa.

“May I look at this box?” Honeymaren asked, pointing to a small jewelry box resting on Elsa’s desk.

Elsa laughed, “I keep telling you: you don’t have to ask.” She turned her head to watch Honeymaren play with her hands, eyes still on the blue velvet covered box. “And thank you for using proper grammar.”

Honeymaren rolled her eyes. “Ugh, thank Ryder. Our mom corrected him one time when he asked ‘can I see’ by saying ‘I don’t know, can you’ and he tortured me by repeating that every time I slipped up. Yes, Ryder, I can, and I will hit you over the head with it too.” She shrugged at Elsa. “But it worked. I’m an educated woman now.”

Elsa chuckled and turned back to the mirror. Honeymaren slowly reached for the blue box and picked it up as if it were extremely fragile. A brass piece stuck out from one of its sides and Honeymaren ran a finger on it.

“Do you see that?” Elsa asked, suddenly besides her with her hair newly braided.

Honeymaren jumped into the air and almost threw the box across the room with fright.

“Sorry,” Elsa apologized, but from the way she giggled and hid a grin behind a raised hand, it didn’t seem very sincere.

Honeymaren held her heart with one hand and let Elsa take the box from her other hand. She took a breath and watched closely as Elsa’s delicate fingers began to crank the brass knob. After a few good turns, Elsa paused and cradled the box in both of her open palms. Honeymaren looked up at Elsa’s light blue eyes and her pretty mouth that tugged at her bottom lip.

“Open it,” Elsa whispered excitedly.

Honeymaren stared longingly at her lips. “Huh…?” She realized where she was staring and quickly snapped out of it. “Oh!”

She reached out and placed her hand on the lid, glancing up at Elsa to make sure she was doing it right. Elsa nodded down excitedly at the box, eyes sparkling. Honeymaren slowly opened the lid and leaped backwards as music began to loudly play out of it. She collected herself and looked at Elsa’s surprised expression.

Elsa wasn’t expecting that reaction from Honeymaren, and her first instinct was to laugh, but she stopped herself. She remembered being afraid of everything too, not because it was unfamiliar, but because she was just a scared girl who wasn’t use to anything that couldn’t be found in her room.

“It’s okay,” Elsa encouraged. “See?”

Elsa closed the lid and the music stopped. Honeymaren blinked and moved back to Elsa’s side slowly, watching the box. Elsa watched Honeymaren’s face as she lifted the lid again.

“How is it doing that?” Honeymaren wondered as she brought her face close to the box. “Are there spirits or creatures in there?” She stretched out her index finger and poked at a small, spinning figure of a dancer inside of it. Honeymaren quickly withdrew her finger and leaned back. “Is she one of them?”

Elsa laughed lightly, “No, just technology…which in of itself is pretty magical, I’d say.”

Honeymaren silently agreed. During lunch, Mattias, after putting their bags and the “gifts” away, showed off the ‘photography’ technology to everyone. He had dozen of pictures of himself, his fiancée, and places from around the world that he bought from merchants. Honeymaren tried to wrap her head around how light could capture images on paper, but had given up even after Mattias excitedly explained the process to the siblings. (She only half-listened to Mattias anyway: she always had a hard time forgiving _and_ forgetting.)

“What song is it playing?” Honeymaren asked, secretly hoping Elsa would sing it for her.

Elsa shook her head and handed the box to Honeymaren. “I am afraid I do not know the answer to that.”

Honeymaren hid her disappointment and watched the twirling figure. The music slowed to a halt and Honeymaren closed the lid and placed the box back down where she found it.

Elsa smiled as she watched Honeymaren stare down at the box for a few more moments. Honeymaren turned to Elsa and smiled in return.

“Well, I’ll get changed quickly and we can go,” Elsa said as she walked to her closet. “I have a lot of places I wish to show you before it gets dark.”

Honeymaren walked back to Elsa’s bed and sat down. “Sounds good.”

Elsa peeked over at Honeymaren. She said she was going to change – was Honeymaren planning on watching?

Elsa cleared her throat. “I, uh… Honeymaren?”

Honeymaren blinked up at her. “Yes?”

Elsa felt her face and neck turn hot and red, but kept her voice steady. “…I would like to change…here…in this spot…”

Honeymaren stared at her, confused. “That’s fine?”

Elsa sighed and just as she was about to explain, Honeymaren shot up, eyes wide.

“Oh! Sorry! I keep forgetting!” she shouted as she rushed off the bed and towards the door. She opened it and practically leaped out of the room. “I’ll be outside!”

The door slammed shut and Elsa sighed with a mix of relief and frustration at herself. Elsa could get use to the Forest foods, the homes, the giants shaking them awake at night if they passed by, but…the one thing she couldn’t get use to is how the Northuldrans didn’t know the meaning of privacy. She understood the reason they did everything in groups and lived close to each other was for their safety, but as a private person, it was difficult to get use to. Because of the lack of privacy, things like nudity weren’t a big deal to the Northuldra like it was for Elsa. Elsa still couldn’t join the women when they bathed in the water or even change in front of anyone. Sometimes she would sneak to the water when she knew Honeymaren was bathing and try to get over herself to join her and the others. But, as soon as she would see any hint of skin (especially Honeymaren’s amazing skin) she would quickly sneak back to the Forest and hide. Elsa sighed again and picked out a dress to wear.

Meanwhile, Honeymaren had her forehead flat against the far wall. She slowly pulled her head back and bumped it against the wall again. Between Yelana’s “gifts,” her frightened reaction to a tiny box, and now looking like a pervert…things weren’t going too well. It wasn’t her or Ryder’s faults, per say, but the enormous cultural differences. Honeymaren was someone who was proud of their culture, proud of their heritage, proud of everything Northuldran…but now, she was suddenly feeling so alien and strange in Arendelle. She sighed and squeezed her eyes closed.

Behind her, the door to Elsa’s room opened. Honeymaren opened her eyes and turned to see Elsa dressed in a beautiful, sparkling dark blue dress adorned with small jewels around her exposed collarbone. Honeymaren’s eyes widened, but she forced herself to look away. 

Elsa blinked, eyes filled with concern. “Are you alright?”

Honeymaren turned her head back towards Elsa and replied, “I’m fine, I was just…admiring…” Her eyes roamed down Elsa’s body, feeling her chest tighten. When Elsa cocked her head at her, Honeymaren quickly added, “---the wall!”

Elsa smirked and walked over to her. “I hope you weren’t trying to find a way to climb outside.”

Honeymaren feigned a deeply offended look and gasp. “I would never even think about it!”

Elsa stuck out her index finger and tapped the tip of Honeymaren’s nose. “You _won’t_ think about it again.”

Elsa walked past her and glanced back at Honeymaren who gawked at Elsa with an open mouth. She suddenly realized what she just did: she “boop”-ed Honeymaren’s nose. It was a motion that she did to small animals, children, and Anna…all cute things and people. Honeymaren was just as cute, but she knew it could be taken as a demeaning gesture. She clenched her teeth through her tightly drawn lips and turned away.

Already she was messing things up, and the “outing” hadn’t even begun. She hugged her arms as she felt the cold chill of magic run through her veins.

“Poke!”

Elsa practically screamed as she felt a finger jab unexpectedly into her back. She turned just in time to see Honeymaren dodge around her and run down the hall.

“I got you back!” Honeymaren called over her shoulder as she disappeared around the far corner.

Elsa desperately swallowed a few gulps of air as she held her chest. Finally, she collected herself and grinned after Honeymaren. “Don’t run down the halls! You don’t even know where you are going!”

“I really don’t! I’m already lost!” Honeymaren’s voice echoed from somewhere.

Elsa rolled her eyes with a laugh and hurried after her voice.

+0+0+0+0+

Unfortunately for Elsa, Anna giddily stood waiting at the front gates with a smirking Mattias at her side.

“Ooo, this is so great!” Anna cheered as she fussed over Elsa’s dress. “My big sister going out into town to have…(gasp)… _fun_?! With…(gasp)… _someone her age_?!”

Elsa groaned and nursed her forehead between her fingers as Honeymaren tried to hold back laughter. “Anna, please…”

Anna looked disappointed as she pulled at Elsa’s braid. “Aw, why did you braid your hair?! It’s so pretty all loose and flowing through the breeze!”

Elsa tugged her braid away from Anna’s hands and glared at her sister, cheeks bright red. “It is in a braid because I _wanted_ it to be. That is all.”

“But why???” Anna questioned as Elsa tried to step around her to escape.

“ _Because_ ,” Elsa growled.

Anna sighed and let Elsa step around her. “I hate when you answer me with a non-answer.”

Honeymaren patted Anna’s shoulder as she followed Elsa. “It’s a big sister thing.”

Mattias gave them a courteous half bow. “My guards will be around to make sure things stay safe.”

Anna waved excitedly after them, bottom lip quivering. “Have fun! Don’t stay out too late! Oh! Make sure not to get separated from each other! And Honeymaren don’t talk to strangers unless Elsa gives the okay! Look Mattias, look at them! Wow!”

Elsa groaned, shoulders bunched up near her ears as she quickly led Honeymaren away. “Please ignore her.”

Honeymaren laughed, “She’s cute.”

“At least one of us thinks so,” Elsa sighed.

They began to cross the bridge and Honeymaren’s pace began to slow so she could look at the sights of the ocean, the cliffs, and Arendelle itself high on the hills. Elsa slowed her pace as well, feeling pride swell within her again. Once Honeymaren took in the sights, she joined Elsa’s side again and they briskly walked across the rest of the bridge and into Arendelle.

Arendelle had even more faces than Elsa remembered from last time she visited. People from around the world swarmed into Arendelle after she had opened the castle gates and, with them, Arendelle itself. Trade boomed and Arendelle filled with new faces and new people. She glanced over at Honeymaren and thought maybe no one would even bat an eye at her. Honeymaren’s clothing was different, and perhaps she was over-dressed for Arendelle weather, but nothing that would stand out from the diverse crowds.

“It’s Elsa! It’s Elsa!” a happy child’s voice rang out.

Elsa and Honeymaren turned to see a group of school children rush at them, giggling happily. However, they stopped and froze in place, all staring up at Honeymaren.

“Hello,” Honeymaren greeted and squatted down on one knee.

Some of the children gasped and others continued their wide-eyed stare at her.

“Children!” an elderly woman hissed from a few feet away behind the children.

The children backed away and ran back to the old woman who quickly led them back inside the school.

Elsa felt her heart sink. [Oh no… Didn’t Anna speak to everyone about the Northuldran people and what happened? She said she did…]

Honeymaren got back up and brushed off her knee. “Huh, well, children can be shy.”

Elsa frowned. The Northuldran children were much more welcoming and curious…

Honeymaren felt uncomfortable, not because of the children’s reactions, but because all the happiness was slowly draining out of Elsa’s eyes and face. She knew this would happen, and she understood why it was happening. Their people had fought, and nobody had seen the Northuldra for decades after it. She was sure wild tales and rumors still lingered on the lips of the people of Arendelle.

“I am truly sorry, Honeymaren,” Elsa whispered, wringing her hands.

Honeymaren took her shoulders, turned Elsa to face her, and then used one hand to prop up her chin so their eyes met. “Elsa. Fun. You and me. Same age. Having fun. (Gasp!) _Together_.”

Elsa sighed and chuckled, “Oh no, not you too.”

Honeymaren grinned. “Come on, don’t sulk. I expected this; after all, Ryder and I are here to give our people a good reputation. That, to me, means we either don’t have one here or a bad one, right?”

Elsa chewed her lip and looked away from Honeymaren. She was right. Elsa desperately wanted her people to be perfect, wanted them to instantly accept Honeymaren and the Northuldran, but it would take time and even then…some people are just stubborn. She silently cursed her grandfather before turning back to Honeymaren.

“You’re right. Come, let us go have…what is that word?” Elsa teased. “Oh right, fun.”

Honeymaren smirked and put her hands on her hips. “Lead the way.”

Elsa turned and looked down the busy streets, her previous excitement slowly starting to build up once again. She had an entire checklist of things she wanted to do, but suddenly realized, for the first time (in forever) she had no plan and no schedule. When she was Queen, her entire day was planned and lived at a strict schedule. The Forest and the spirits had no such things, and she along with them.

Honeymaren noticed that even though Elsa had once ruled this place, she looked completely lost. Elsa looked to and fro before looking down and wringing her hands. She began to walk to join Elsa’s side, but was distracted by unfamiliar, sweet smells in the air.

“What’s that smell?” Honeymaren asked.

Elsa jumped and quietly sniffed the air. “ _Chocolates…_ ” She turned. “I know where our first stop is now.” She began to giggle. “It’s funny because, we’re two women, and chocolate shopping is where we want to go first… How…stereotypical, correct?”

She expected Honeymaren to laugh or at least smile, but the woman just gave Elsa a blank stare.

“Why is that?” Honeymaren asked.

Elsa slapped her hand to her chest. “Honeymaren…do the Northuldra not know what chocolate is?”

Honeymaren shifted self-consciously on her feet. “Uh…?”

Elsa’s jaw dropped. Wordlessly, she shot out her arm and snatched Honeymaren by hers. She hauled off the very bewildered Honeymaren towards one of the local bakeries that was the source of the smells.

Honeymaren stumbled through the door after Elsa and almost tripped on a large whisker basket filled with bread. The bakery was small and the customers that were inside all stopped browsing and stared at the two.

“It’s Elsa,” Honeymaren heard a younger blonde woman whisper to her tall, brunette husband.

“Another one of _them_ is here? This one’s a young whelp too,” Elsa winced when she heard an elderly woman hiss into another elderly woman’s ear.

Elsa released Honeymaren’s arm and used the now free hand to take Honeymaren’s with a squeeze. She knew, deep down, she was the one who needed to hold hands. It was pathetic she was letting her own people create such fear and anger in her, after all, if she was still Queen she could ---

No.

She wasn’t the Queen, but she could still control the situation…or at least, how she felt in the situation.

Elsa turned to Honeymaren, lips tight as she tried to fight her anxiety and…….Honeymaren was gone. Elsa blinked several times and checked around.

“Honeymaren?” Elsa called.

“Over here!” came Honeymaren’s voice from the back of the building.

Honeymaren was at the main counter, looking into the glass cases at the hundreds of small chocolates and fresh baked goods. Elsa sighed with relief and smiled at how bold Honeymaren was. The entire store was staring at her, especially the owners who stood behind the counter, but she didn’t even care. Elsa happily went to join her side.

“Why is all the food behind this glass?” Honeymaren asked. “Is this how you keep food fresh in Arendelle?”

Elsa chuckled and pointed down at the baked goods. “You have to buy the food here.”

“Buy?” Honeymaren asked. “Oh, you mean trade, right?” She patted her clothing and belt. “I had a nice dagger to trade until _someone_ told me to put it away.”

“ _Who_ would tell you to do such a thing?” Elsa gasped. When Honeymaren put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes at her, Elsa laughed. “Buying is…well, not trading, exactly…at least not the kind of trading you know.”

The owners, a middle-aged man with a bushy grey mustache, and his middle-aged wife with light hair mixed with touches of grey, both looked at each other with matching surprised faces.

“Your people don’t know what money is?” the male owner asked.

“Money?” Honeymaren blinked. “What is that?”

Elsa mentally kicked herself. There were so many things she taught Honeymaren and Ryder, how could she forget money? Well, she decided, some lessons are better taught through demonstration.

“Money is paper and coins we use to trade for the things we want. See those numbers?” Elsa pointed to the prices written on small, square pieces of paper infront of each display of food. “That shows how much of the money we need to give the owners in order for us to buy the food.”

Honeymaren’s brow furrowed. “So…how do you make the money?”

“You can’t make money,” the store owner’s wife explained. “…Legally…”

Elsa added, “You can earn money by working, like these fine people are doing.”

“But how much of the money will you get? How is it determined?” Honeymaren asked.

By now, many of the customers had stopped browsing to listen to the conversation with grins on their faces. The once tense atmosphere was now bright and the judging whispers were gone.

Elsa chuckled as she felt her herself begin to sweat. Who knew money could be so complicated? “It…there…needs to be an agreement. You are paid money for your time, and you must make an agreement about how much money you will earn.”

“…But…what happens to the elderly or the children that cannot work? Are they not able to buy what they need?” Honeymaren asked, her voice rising as a look of anger appeared on her face. “Does Arendelle not take care of them?!”

The elderly woman, who had referred to Honeymaren as a “whelp” before, nodded vigorously with approval.

Elsa stuttered nervously, “O-of course we take care of them…! The castle gives them some money to live and there are people who will donate their money to them as well.”

The look of anger disappeared, replaced by the previous expression of confusion. “Wait, how does the castle get money?”

Elsa sucked in a breath. _Oh no._ Beside her, the store owner rubbed a hand through his balding head and let out laugh. His wife turned sharply and pretended to be occupied with the jars of fruits and jams behind the counter.

“…Taxes…” Elsa hissed in a strained voice, eyes squeezing closed.

“…Taxes? What are those?” Honeymaren asked the question Elsa was dreading.

The entire store erupted into laughter.

“I’m leaving!” a man announced as he carried a bag full of bread he purchased a short while ago. “Good luck explaining those!”

Honeymaren watched him leave with her eyebrow raised. She turned back to Elsa who looked like she was going to faint.

“Do I really need to know what taxes are yet?” Honeymaren asked.

Elsa violently shook her head, lips sucked into her mouth.

A slow grin spread across Honeymaren’s face. “Okay, I won’t ask. I’ll just presume the spirits gift the castle their money.”

Elsa let out a huge breath of relief. “Trust me, it is better that way.”

The owner’s wife turned back around with a laugh. “Are you girls looking for anything in particular?”

Elsa smiled and motioned to Honeymaren with her hand. “Well, Honeymaren and her tribe have never had chocolate before so---“

Elsa and Honeymaren jumped when both the owners slammed their hands down on the counter. “NO CHOCOLATE?!”

Almost everyone in the store stopped and stared, a few gasps softly breaking the silence. The wife raced to the backroom while the owner stared at Honeymaren with his jaw dropped. She returned with a long, rectangular white box and ripped open its top to reveal a line of small chocolate samplers.

“What do your people eat besides for fle---“ the owner began to ask, but his wife quickly pushed his elbowed him in the ribs. “---Oof!”

Elsa’s eyes grew cold. “What was that? What were you going to say?”

The owner laughed nervously and stretched his collar with one finger. “Fish! I was going to say fish…”

Honeymaren glanced nervously at Elsa as she felt the temperature drop. As much as she loved the fact that Elsa was so protective of her and her people, she couldn’t have a fight break out. She shivered both from the cold air radiating off Elsa, and the mental image of Yelana punishing her for not getting a wedding invitation.

“Are you offering those to me?” Honeymaren asked the wife in the sweetest voice she could muster, hoping it would take Elsa off guard.

It worked: Elsa blinked several times and turned her head to Honeymaren, her mouth dropped open and her eyebrows raised. The wife beamed and nodded several times, pushing the box closer to Honeymaren’s face.

“It’s our sampler. Here, your first chocolates,” she explained as she placed the box into Honeymaren’s hands.

Elsa smiled when Honeymaren looked at her for confirmation. She nodded and bit her lip, eagerly anticipating Honeymaren’s reaction. Honeymaren delicately picked out one of the chocolates and lifted it to her mouth. Elsa’s eyes were glued to Honeymaren’s full lips as she took a cautious bite.

Honeymaren chewed slowly. The chocolate was very sweet that started off solid in her mouth but then slowly melted with each bite. She swallowed and couldn’t stop her eyes from rolling into her head. Honeymaren turned to tell Elsa how she had never tasted anything like the chocolate before, and was surprised to see Elsa’s normally pale skin a deep shade of pink, pupils large with a glassy look. Was she…turned on? No…she probably wanted one of the pieces of chocolate. Elsa seemed very excited about buying chocolate before.

“This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten!” she excitedly told the owners. The owners beamed and Honeymaren looked back at Elsa. “Here, try one!” Honeymaren proclaimed, offering Elsa the box.

Meanwhile, Elsa was in a foggy, hot, daze. Honeymaren’s expression when she bit into the chocolate set Elsa’s body aflame in a way she had never felt before. The lips curled into a smile, the eyes rolling into the back of her head, her chest rising…

“Oh!” Elsa snapped out of it when the box was shoved her way. “Ahem! No, they’re yours, Honeymaren…”

_Please eat some more. Slowly…_

Elsa whirled around and fixed her hair, even though not one strand of hair was astray from her braid. She silently scolded herself and held her pounding heart.

“This piece is white, is it still chocolate?” Honeymaren asked as she studied the white chocolate piece between her fingers.

Elsa turned back around and explained, “Yes. There are different kinds of chocolate. Personally, I love the orange flavored chocolate, which I will take to go.”

The wife hurriedly grabbed a bag and began to gather Elsa’s desired chocolate. “Yes, Your Majesty! I mean…Your Highness? …My Princess…?”

“Elsa is fine,” Elsa said gently. “Thank you.”

She turned to see Honeymaren standing still with her eyes closed, chewing slowly on what Elsa presumed was the white chocolate.

Honeymaren gulped and opened her eyes again. “Mmm… Do you think Anna would mind if I moved in?”

Elsa laughed but then stopped and snapped her fingers. “Anna…” She turned to the owners. “My sister…Her Majesty Queen Anna…is preparing for her wedding. She’s a bit overwhelmed, and I was thinking, maybe your store can cater the desserts?”

The owners looked shocked. The wife finally said, “But…surely the castle has its own kitchen staffed with the best chefs and bakers? We’re just a little bakery…”

Elsa shook her head. “Queen Anna wants her wedding to be about Arendelle and its people too, as well as its future, at peace with the Northuldra as allies.” 

“If we get invited,” Honeymaren teased as she popped another piece of chocolate into her mouth.

Elsa smirked and raised an eyebrow at her. “All of you will.”

“The day’s still young,” Honeymaren teased back.

The owner reached over the counter with his slightly trembling hand extended. “Thank you! We would love to!”

Elsa gently took the hand between hers and grasped it. “No, thank you. It will be one less thing at the castle she will have to overlook.”

The owner looked at Honeymaren once Elsa released his hand and slowly offered it to her as well. Honeymaren took it with one of her hands.

“I am going to gain a lot of weight from the wedding if you bring more chocolate,” Honeymaren said.

He laughed loudly and removed his hand. “I’ll make sure to bring a lot!” He looked back at Elsa. “Oh! I should also bring something new I’ve learned! A merchant from across the sea brought a new invention – rose ice cream. It’s ice cream, made out of roses!”

Elsa’s lip turned upwards and her fingers curled. “Does…that taste good…?”

The wife returned with two bags of chocolate and placed them on the counter. “You wouldn’t think so, but it’s delicious! He taught us how to make it too. It’s…expensive to make though…but if the castle is footing the bill…?”

She wagged her eyebrows suggestively and Elsa laughed. “Yes, please make some of that too. We can talk more about details when you’re ready with a plan. I will be leaving by the end of the week or so, so if I am not here, you may talk with someone at the castle.”

Honeymaren listened quietly. Roses? Ice cream? She felt completely lost and a part of her didn’t want to keep asking what everything was like a child, but, her curiosity got the best of her.

“Ice cream? Roses?” Honeymaren asked Elsa.

The owners looked like they wanted to faint. “No ice cream either…?” “This poor girl…”

Elsa smiled brightly. “I will ask the castle to make you and Ryder ice cream one night. As for roses…”

“Take that poor girl to the flower shop!” the owner wailed. “What is it like up North?! It sounds like such a sad place!”

Elsa pressed her lips tightly together to try to suppress the laugh rising out of her body as Honeymaren turned to the owners.

“B-but…it’s not…we’re happy…” Honeymaren stuttered.

Elsa took the bags off the counter. “Is one bag for Honeymaren?”

The wife nodded. “It’s a little bit of everything in there. The poor girl needs to have a taste of everything we have.”

Elsa smiled and nodded courteously. “Thank you. Please bill it and the catering to the castle.”

She turned and motioned Honeymaren to follow. Honeymaren looked back and forth between Elsa and the owners.

“But…we didn’t give them money,” Honeymaren pointed out.

Elsa smiled. “They will get money when they ask for it at a later date.”

Honeymaren looked at the owners. “But…you two are happy with that, right?”

The owners exchanged confused looks, but then nodded and smiled at Honeymaren.

“Then…thank you. Goodbye,” Honeymaren said politely.

Elsa nodded at the owners again and led Honeymaren outside. She smiled and looked at Honeymaren, but then her face fell. Honeymaren looked confused and unhappy, eyes staring intensely at the ground as she followed Elsa.

“They are happy, right? We didn’t steal, did we?” Honeymaren asked almost desperately.

Elsa stopped and turned to Honeymaren. “No! Of course not… Are you okay?”

Honeymaren let out a shaky sigh. “I just…don’t want to give a bad impression. Imagine, a whole bunch of Northuldra wandering around Arendelle while everyone thinks we steal things because we do not have money.”

Elsa nodded gravely. She understood Honeymaren’s concern, and also knew how much Honeymaren valued their culture and was so fiercely protective of its people. Elsa smiled gently and opened one bag revealing it to be the mixed chocolates one. She gently pushed it into Honeymaren’s chest.

“Honeymaren. Fun. Us two. Together. Having fun. Wooowww,” Elsa teased in an even voice.

Honeymaren coughed out a laugh and took the bag with both her hands. A half smile slowly stretched across her face and her golden-brown eyes peeked up into Elsa’s kind eyes. “Sorry…”

Elsa turned and led Honeymaren down the street. “Come, the flower shop is down this way.” She felt herself get excited again. “You’ll love it! There are so many flowers all arranged on tables, hanging from the ceiling, on the ground…”

“Uck!” Honeymaren’s voice barked.

Elsa stopped and meekly turned to Honeymaren. “I-I am sorry…I wrongly presumed you wanted to…”

She paused and put her hand to her mouth at the expression on Honeymaren’s face. Honeymaren stuck out her tongue several times as she chewed, eyes squeezed shut, and her nose upturned.

“That was a bitter one…” Honeymaren muttered.

Elsa laughed, “Do you want me to make you an ice cube to get the taste out?”

Honeymaren shook herself of the taste. “It’s okay… I’ll live.”

+0+0+0+0+

The flower shop was as beautiful as Elsa promised. Bunches of flowers Honeymaren had never seen before filled the store with soft smells and bright colors. Honeymaren wandered the store on her own, stopping to smell and touch any flower she found herself drawn to. Meanwhile, Elsa was at the counter talking to the owner about Anna’s wedding. Honeymaren lifted her head from another group of flowers and looked at Elsa. Elsa seemed very happy in Arendelle, especially happy with Anna. With so many wonderful things in Arendelle, a creeping thought began to poison Honeymaren’s mind:

Why would Elsa want to live in the Forest with them?

She frowned slightly and looked down at a group of small, white flowers with black tips on its petals. Suddenly, she felt a cool hand brush the tuft of hair that half-covered her ear away and slide a long stemmed flower over her ear. The flower was a dark red and its petals bunched together in a tight shape.

“That is a rose,” Elsa said in a whispery voice.

Honeymaren’s now large eyes stared into Elsa’s for a moment before she picked the flower from her hair and looked at it more closely. “It’s beautiful… I think this is the most beautiful flower I’ve seen…”

Elsa smiled and watched Honeymaren stare at and gently touch the rose. “Beautiful...”

Honeymaren looked at Elsa with a slightly befuddled expression and smile. “The flower?”

Elsa flushed. “Y…yes, the flower.”

Honeymaren looked back down at the rose. “So you can eat this?”

“No!” Elsa gasped. “A…at least…not raw…? I don’t think?” She scrunched her face. “…Please don’t eat it.”

Honeymaren smirked and put the rose back into her hair. She turned and Elsa followed her back outside. “So, where to next?”

Elsa turned to Honeymaren with an impish smile. “You’ll see.”

+0+0+0+0+

Elsa sat in her favorite clothing store with a satisfied smile on her face. She had finally convinced Honeymaren to try something. Elsa waited outside the dressing booth where all that separate her and Honeymaren was a curtain. Her eyes wandered down to the bottom of the curtain that hung a few inches above the floor. Honeymaren’s pants were pooled around her ankles, shoes kicked aside, and her thick tunic crumpled beneath the green undershirt she wore. Elsa shivered as her mind briefly flashed an image of Honeymaren’s clothing on the floor of her bedroom.

[Stop it,] she scolded herself as she squeezed her eyes shut.

She heard the curtain slowly slide open. Elsa opened her eyes and looked at Honeymaren. She was dressed in a green and black dress with small, intricate gold patterns of thread down the middle. Honeymaren’s thick belt was also wrapped around the dress, the bag of chocolates hanging off of it.

“Oh…!” Elsa couldn’t stop the high-pitched whine come out of her mouth.

Honeymaren’s face and neck were dark, lips twisted. “I know… I look…strange.”

Elsa rushed over and grabbed her hands. “You look so beautiful! Anna is going to go nuts when she sees you!”

Honeymaren stepped backwards and hugged herself. “I am not wearing this outside the store.”

Elsa’s face fell. “Why not?”

Honeymaren winced at the expression on Elsa’s face. It reminded her of a baby reindeer’s face when it was begging for food or attention. In other words, it was impossible for Honeymaren to say “no” to Elsa right now.

“F-fine…” Honeymaren sighed. “But after today, I’m wearing my regular clothing again.”

Elsa put up her hands. “Okay, I understand.”

Honeymaren sighed and glanced over at a full sized mirror hung on the wall next to her. She felt like she was looking at someone else in her reflection. Her hat was gone and the top of her hair looked slightly messy from wearing it nonstop for almost two days. She saw Elsa behind her, eyes looking up and down Honeymaren’s dress with bright eyes. Elsa was the picture of perfection: everything from her hair to her shoes was immaculate. Honeymaren looked back at herself and saw a messy, tomboyish girl wearing a refined Arendelle woman costume. She sighed. Beautiful…Elsa was crazy.

Elsa had to keep a whimper from escaping her mouth when Honeymaren brushed aside the long braid from her back. The dress wasn’t tied in the back, revealing Honeymaren’s long, tan and strong-looking back. She walked up to Honeymaren, hands shaking.

“Um…your dress is not tied in the back,” Elsa whispered, mouth dry.

Honeymaren sighed, “I couldn’t reach, so I just used my belt to keep it from falling down.” She turned and pushed her braid up over her head with one arm. “Do you mind?”

Elsa chewed her lip and reached out slowly. She practically shook as she carefully tied each tie. Her fingers brushed Honeymaren’s warm skin as she did, sending chills down her spine. Honeymaren stood still and patiently let Elsa tie each one at her slow pace.

When Elsa got to the tie near the middle of Honeymaren’s back, she noticed a large, wide scar that spread to underneath both sides of the dress. Elsa stopped and touched the exposed part with the back of her fingers sympathetically, wondering how Honeymaren got such a brutal looking wound. When Honeymaren winced and turned her head, Elsa quickly tied the rest of the dress and stepped back.

“Okay, done,” Elsa breathed. “Ha…sorry, I didn’t want you falling out of that.”

_Lies._

Honeymaren smiled at Elsa. “Thank you.”

Elsa nodded dumbly as her eyes traveled down Honeymaren’s exposed neck and collarbone. “Of course.”

Elsa spun around and walked quickly to the front of the store to speak to the worker behind the counter. After asking the castle to be billed, and mentioning Anna’s upcoming wedding, the worker gave Elsa a bag to collect Honeymaren’s clothing in. Elsa returned to Honeymaren’s side.

“For your clothing,” Elsa said and lifted the bag to show Honeymaren how they would be carried.

Honeymaren nodded and took the bag. She went back to the dressing booth and began to gather her clothing. Her regular clothing felt thick and heavy compared to the Arendelle clothing. She placed them in the bag and lifted it up. Honeymaren sighed to herself: it felt like she was carrying her lost pride. She sauntered back to Elsa and the two left the store. The first thing they were greeted with was the sounds of ducks quacking in the distance.

“Oh! Let’s feed the ducks,” Elsa gasped as she took Honeymaren’s hand again.

Honeymaren asked, “Ducks? In the ocean?”

Elsa shook her head and led Honeymaren to a large pond. There were people gathered around the pond on all its sides, some tossing bread into the water for the groups of ducks floating in different areas. Honeymaren smiled happily and squatted down to the pond’s edge.

“Do the ducks really eat bread? Is it good for them?” Honeymaren asked.

Elsa laughed softly, “Yes, and, I certainly hope so.”

She turned her head to see a man sitting on a bench with loaves of bread for sale. Elsa bought one and returned to see Honeymaren watching a group of children feed the ducks a few feet away. Elsa tapped Honeymaren’s arm with the loaf of bread and offered it to her when she turned. Honeymaren accepted it but just looked down at it.

“I just break it into pieces?” she asked.

Elsa nodded. “Yes, but, small pieces.”

Honeymaren carefully broke a chunk of the bread and ripped it into little pieces. She tossed the pieces into the water and in an instant loud squawking erupted as a group of ducks raced over to nab the pieces into their beaks. Elsa and Honeymaren laughed as more and more ducks swam over, hoping for bread. Honeymaren split the rest of the bread, gave one half to Elsa, and the two fed the ducks together. When they ran out, the ducks sat and quacked at them until they began to slowly separate and leave the two women to find more food.

“Greedy little animals, aren’t they?” Honeymaren laughed.

Elsa giggled, “That was fun. The last time I fed the ducks was when I was a little girl. My mother use to take Anna and I here before…”

Honeymaren turned and studied Elsa’s face. Her eyes had grown distant and sad. “…Before they locked you away?”

Elsa flinched and held her arm. “They didn’t…I mean…they had no choice…I-I hurt Anna…”

Honeymaren huffed, “No choice, huh?”

Elsa spun around to Honeymaren, eyes large and pained-filled. “No! Trust me; my powers were too dangerous...”

Honeymaren silently disagreed. Elsa’s mother was Northuldran, she could’ve figured something out. Even if the spirits had fallen asleep and quiet when the Mist covered the Forest, their people had a deep connection and understanding of the spiritual elements and creatures of the world. Elsa’s mother should have accepted her and taught her to appreciate her powers, not put her in isolation and make her feel ashamed. But, Arendelle, as beautiful as it was, was a place that seemed to have forgotten the natural world. Everything was covered in cold, hard stone, even the dirt on the ground. The trees were sparse and replaced by thousands of people who always seemed to be in a hurry. Perhaps Elsa’s mother had forgotten what it was like to be Northuldran here and lost her connection to nature over the years.

Honeymaren slowly nodded her head. “I’m sorry. I was not there, so I do not understand.”

Elsa offered a small smile. “It’s okay. Thank you for your concern, but I am fine. I am very happy with the life I live now.”

Elsa looked into Honeymaren’s eyes. They were serious as they searched Elsa’s face.

Honeymaren’s expression softened again and she gently removed Elsa’s hand that was still squeezing the arm. She took it in her hands and smiled. “You’re not lying?”

Elsa shook her head, eyes focused on their intertwined hands. “No.”

She stepped closer to Honeymaren and paused. Elsa looked down and away, feeling shy as she took her hand out of Honeymaren’s and opened her arms. Honeymaren blinked at her, then smiled, and they hugged. Elsa sank into the hug and found herself inhaling Honeymaren’s scent, which mostly smelled like chocolate at the moment, making their hug even better.

Elsa pulled away, keeping her hands on Honeymaren’s shoulders. “Speaking of my parents, I have another place in mind.”

+0+0+0+0+

Elsa led Honeymaren by the hand towards the square. While Honeymaren was use to having her hand in Elsa’s, the gesture still gave her goosebumps if she concentrated too hard on how soft Elsa’s hands were. As they got closer to the square, Honeymaren was surprised to see so many more people at this location. She thought there were a lot of people on the streets, but here, even as the sun began to sink in the sky, there were so many more.

“There!” Elsa’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

Elsa stopped and pointed up at a large statue of two children in the middle of the square. One child was Northuldra, and the other looked to be from Arendelle.

“Your parents?” Honeymaren asked.

Elsa nodded and squeezed Honeymaren’s hand. “Yes. Anna ordered it to be made as a show of unity of Arendelle and the Northuldra.”

Honeymaren laughed, “They should’ve made one of you! You’re the one who saved both the Forest and Arendelle.”

Elsa released Honeymaren’s hand, eyes transfixed on the statue. She led Honeymaren closer and they both stared up at it.

“It’s nice that Anna did this, that she thinks of the Northuldra so highly,” Honeymaren admitted.

Elsa smiled briefly at Honeymaren and then looked back up at the statue. “I am glad the Northuldra welcomed us so easily and warmly.” She turned to Honeymaren excitedly. “I can’t wait for Anna’s wedding and to see both our people meet again.”

Honeymaren smirked up at Elsa. “I don’t know… Remember how confused I’ve been all day and imagine that times however many Northuldra come.”

Elsa chuckled, “It will be fine, trust me.”

Behind them, little voices rang out. “Elsa! Elsa!”

Elsa and Honeymaren turned to see the group of school children from before race towards them. When they got close, they skidded to a halt and once again stared up at Honeymaren. This time, though, their little gasps and whispers were of awe instead of fear.

“Is _that_ the Northuldra?!” a brunette boy loudly asked Elsa as he pointed at Honeymaren.

“Yes, _she_ is. This is Honeymaren, one of our Northuldra guests,” Elsa explained.

Honeymaren nodded, but didn’t say anything. It didn’t go well last time, so she decided to let Elsa handle the children.

A girl in pigtails leaned over to another little girl and whispered a bit too loudly, “She’s pretty…”

Elsa silently agreed and smiled at Honeymaren whose cheeks turned red.

A blonde haired girl rushed over to Elsa and grabbed her hand. “Elsa, no! You have to get away from her! She’ll eat you too!”

Elsa’s jaw dropped open. “What?! Who told you that?!”

The other children looked uncomfortable.

“Ms. Fitzberg told us that the Northuldra ate the soldiers who got trapped in the Forest to survive,” a boy admitted.

Another girl nodded empathetically. “My grandparents told me scary stories about the Northuldra too! Like how they use blood to cast spells…”

Elsa shut her eyes as they rolled into the back of her head. Of course, the elderly people of Arendelle would remember when only her father and a few others returned from the Forest alone. It would be nearly impossible to change their minds. She felt terrible for Honeymaren: many people of Arendelle still saw her as a monster. Honeymaren must’ve been so upset…

Honeymaren let out an amused snort and Elsa whirled around to her, eyes wide. Honeymaren’s mouth was twisting in an attempt to hold back laughter. When she saw Elsa’s wide eyes, she cleared her throat and unsuccessfully tried to look serious again.

“Are you…laughing?!” Elsa gasped. “Honeymaren!”

Honeymaren laughed and held up her hands. “I’m sorry, it’s just…wow!”

Elsa sighed at Honeymaren and then turned back to the children. “Those are all just stories. I live with the Northuldra, and have they eaten me?”

“No,” the children said.

“And Lieutenant Mattias and his soldiers returned to Arendelle, didn’t they?” Elsa continued.

The children nodded their heads. “Yes.”

“And I have magical powers, but do you see me using blood?” Elsa asked.

Most of the children hung their heads and the others either looked away or stared up at Elsa with tears stinging their eyes. “No, Elsa.”

Elsa nodded and leaned over to the children. “I promise all of you, the Northuldra are not scary at all. They are a peaceful, friendly people who just want to see the outside world after being trapped for so long. Please welcome them to Arendelle…for me?”

The children nodded happily and Elsa let out a sigh of relief. Honeymaren smiled at the scene as the children began apologizing to Elsa. She knew she had a lot of work to do to change the people’s minds about her people, but with Elsa at her side, she knew it would be happy work.

“Now, if you’ll excuse us, I want to show Honeymaren the Arendelle library,” Elsa gently told the children.

“But Elsa! It’s the end of the week, the library is closed now!” a tall boy shouted.

Elsa groaned to herself, “Oh no… Everything is closed by now.”

Honeymaren patted Elsa’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, we can continue some other day. It's not like we'll never be back in Arendelle again.”

Elsa nodded and smiled appreciatively at Honeymaren. “Yes.: She frowned slightly and looked away. “I’m sorry. This short outing must have been pretty boring for you.”

Honeymaren waved her hand dismissively at Elsa. “Are you kidding me? It was great! I always have fun with you anyway.”

Elsa’s heart pounded in her chest. “R-really? Fun? With me?”

Honeymaren grinned teasingly at Elsa. “Yes, fun, with you.”

“I want to do something fun too!” one of the girls protested.

Elsa turned back to the children and looked over the group. The rest of the children seemed to agree, watching Elsa hopefully. Elsa bit her lip and glanced at the statue. She turned her head back with a smile.

“Okay, I know what we can do,” Elsa said.

She walked a little away from the group of children and Honeymaren. Elsa concentrated momentarily before she reached out her arms, pointed her hands towards the ground, and created a large, circular ice rink with the statue in the middle. The people in the square jumped but then stared in awe.

Honeymaren smiled widely. No matter how many times she saw Elsa use her magic, she was always impressed. The children screamed with joy and rushed past Honeymaren towards the ice. Elsa smiled and nodded at the children. Honeymaren watched as the children stepped onto the ice. As the children’s feet lifted to step onto the ice, a magical swirl of ice crystals formed under their feet and created ice skate blades that attached to their shoes. Honeymaren blinked and watched confused as the children suddenly gained the ability to glide easily over the ice.

“How are they doing that?” Honeymaren asked Elsa.

Elsa turned to her and chewed on her bottom lip. “It’s called ice skating. Do you want to---?”

“WOAH!”

Elsa and Honeymaren turned to see Ryder gawking at Honeymaren. He was also dressed in Arendelle clothing, similar looking to what Kristoff wore.

“Woah,” Honeymaren said right back, looking her brother up and down.

“Who are you?!” Ryder laughed.

Honeymaren shoved his shoulder. “Who are _you_?! Look at you, Ryder!”

Ryder laughed even louder and shoved her right back. “I’m not the one wearing a dress!”

“Oh! Ryder! Try this, it’s called chocolate,” Honeymaren shoved her hand into her chocolate bag and tossed a piece of chocolate into Ryder’s mouth.

Ryder chewed slowly, eyes brightening with each movement of his jaw. “I love chocolate! I love Arendelle!!!”

Kristoff and Sven appeared behind Ryder, both smiling…until they saw Elsa’s frustrated expression. Elsa looked into Kristoff’s eyes helplessly and Kristoff got the message.

“Ryder! Want to try out ice skating?!” Kristoff asked a bit too loudly as he shoved his way in between the play fighting siblings.

Ryder snapped his head to the children and adults ice skating. “I sure do! Come on, Sven!”

Sven snorted and let Ryder led him to the ice rink. Kristoff threw Elsa a wink and went to join the two.

“Do you want to try ice skating with me?” Elsa slowly asked Honeymaren, a blush creeping up her neck and to her face.

Honeymaren looked at the ice rink and then looked at Elsa. “I’m going to fall on my face, aren’t I?”

Elsa laughed, “I won’t let you, I promise.”

She carefully took Honeymaren’s hand and tugged her to the ice rink. Elsa let her magic automatically form ice skate blades on her and Honeymaren’s feet, and then she took both of Honeymaren’s hands into hers.

“Come,” Elsa pleaded softly. “I got you.”

Honeymaren groaned inwardly. To Elsa, it must’ve sounded like a groan of uncertainty, but the real reason for it was that Elsa’s plea made her ache in all the right places. “Okay.”

Honeymaren stepped onto the ice while holding onto Elsa’s hands tightly. She instantly felt her feet almost fly out from underneath her, but as she promised, Elsa had her. They skated slowly on the edge of the rink so they could avoid the more experienced skaters.

“This is amazing!” Ryder cheered as he slid by, holding onto one of Sven’s sides as Kristoff held the other.

Honeymaren laughed at her brother with Elsa.

“ELSA!” Anna’s voice boomed.

Elsa jumped and turned her head to see Anna racing to the ice rink. “Anna?!”

Anna lifted her dress and stomped onto the ice, the magic barely having time to form the blades on her shoes. “Why didn’t tell me you were going to ice skate?”

Elsa shrugged as Anna glided over to their side. “It…just happened. I’m sorry, Anna.”

Anna raised an eyebrow. “Wait, it just happened…impulsively?” She laughed happily. “Wow! My sister being fun _and_ impulsive!”

Kristoff glided over and took Anna into his arms. “My Lady, care to join me?”

Anna giggled happily, “Why, I would love to, Sir!”

Kristoff and Anna skated away. Then, Olaf passed by the two, a bored expression on his face.

“Ugh, this is so laaaaame,” he groaned. Then he brightened and waved happily back at Elsa and Honeymaren. “That’s what I want you all to think that I think!”

Elsa sighed as Olaf happily skated off by himself. “Please let this be a short phase…”

Honeymaren laughed and looked down at her feet. “You know, I think I got the hang of this now.”

Elsa looked concerned. “Are you sure?”

Honeymaren nodded and slowly let go of Elsa’s hands. She smiled when she didn’t instantly fall over and shakily moved her legs. Suddenly, her dress caught in the back of the blade and she tumbled into Elsa. Elsa gasped and caught her, but the two fell to the ground.

Honeymaren froze as she found her face buried in Elsa’s chest and her legs tangled with Elsa’s. She felt Elsa’s chest heave a few times before she pushed herself backwards and off Elsa.

“Oh no! Are you okay?! I’m so sorry!” Honeymaren apologized profusely.

Elsa stared at Honeymaren before she exploded into giggling. Honeymaren sighed with relief and joined her with her own laughter.

“That was…awkward,” Honeymaren said when their laughter died down. “I’m sorry.”

Elsa smirked and raised her eyebrow at Honeymaren. “You flew too close to the sun, Honeymaren.”

Honeymaren laughed, “What?”

Elsa giggled, “You got too cocky.”

Honeymaren rubbed the back of her neck. “Hey, I was doing well until this thing I’ve been forced to wear messed me up!”

Elsa grinned. “Don’t blame the dress.”

Honeymaren narrowed her eyes playfully. “I can and I will.”

They looked into each other’s eyes in silence, both women smiling playfully at one another.

Ryder slid by with Sven and teased in a sing-song voice, “See what happens when you wear a dress…?”

Honeymaren smirked and nodded at Ryder. “See?”

Elsa chuckled and held up her hands. “Fine, it was your dress.” She got up and offered Honeymaren her hand. “Want to try again?”

Honeymaren accepted the helping hand and pulled herself back up. She giggled but stopped when she realized how close their faces were to each other. Elsa’s eyes had a strange, dazed look in them as they seemed to linger at Honeymaren’s lips. Honeymaren felt her blood rush into her ears and she watched Elsa’s distant eyes finally lift to look into hers.

Elsa’s heart pounded in her chest. Honeymaren was quietly looking into her eyes, searching them once again. But this time it felt different. Elsa felt hot as she found herself leaning her face slightly closer to Honeymaren’s. She shuddered when she felt Honeymaren’s breathing hitch on her neck. Then, Honeymaren pulled away and laughed nervously.

“Shall we?” Honeymaren asked and nodded towards the other skaters.

Elsa shook herself and then smiled at the woman. “Yes.”

+0+0+0+0+

About an hour later, the two women sat on a bench closeby the rink. The sky was dark except for the sea of stars that shined overhead. Elsa smiled as she watched Anna and Kristoff twirl in small circles on the ice while they stared deeply into each others’ eyes. She thought back to staring into Honeymaren’s eyes…they were so close…what did she want to do? Anna suddenly stood on her tippy-toes and Kristoff leaned over to kiss her.

Oh. That’s what she wanted to do.

Elsa looked over at Honeymaren who had her chin resting in one hand, elbow on her knee. In that moment, she wanted to kiss Honeymaren.

Meanwhile, Honeymaren could barely keep her eyes open. The two nights of no sleep were more quickly catching up to her than usual. When complained to Elsa, Elsa blamed it on something called a “sugar crash.” Honeymaren accepted it because her body really did feel like it was going to crash to the ground. Still, she didn’t want to leave until the others wanted to leave too, so she told Elsa she would be okay.

“Honeymaren?” Elsa called out to Honeymaren.

Honeymaren’s body jumped and she lifted herself into a sitting up position. “I’m okay.”

She didn’t bother looking at Elsa because she knew she would just be met with an unbelieving look.

“Turn to me,” Elsa ordered.

Honeymaren reluctantly twisted herself around to look at Elsa. As she opened her mouth to reassure Elsa that she was okay, Elsa placed one of her orange chocolates near her lips.

“Here, you need more sugar if you really want to be so stubborn,” Elsa teased.

Honeymaren opened her mouth more and let Elsa gently place to candy into her mouth.

Elsa internally screamed as Honeymaren’s lips parted and her mouth opened to accept the chocolate. She slipped the chocolate into Honeymaren’s mouth, a shiver running up her spine when the tip of one of her fingers accidentally brushed Honeymaren’s wet bottom lip. Elsa quickly withdrew her hand and shoved it into her lap with the other one.

“Mmm,” Honeymaren hummed, causing Elsa to vibrate with it. “Thank you.”

Elsa nodded quickly and looked away. In the very back of her mind, she could hear her father’s voice: conceal, don’t feel… But she wanted to feel this, and yet she didn’t…no, she definitely did, but she was scared. What if she told Honeymaren how she felt and got rejected? What would happen to their friendship? Would things get so awkward that she would have to leave the Forest? She shivered and twisted her fingers together.

“Um…Honeymaren?” Elsa asked slowly.

Ice crystals began to form underneath her palms and onto her dress. Now what should she say?

“Thank you for coming with me today,” Elsa continued. “I have a lot of fun with you…and…I really like you…” She panicked. “I mean, I like being with you!” **NO!!!** “I really like you as in your company! As friends!”

She cringed at the silence that followed. Oh spirits, she messed up. She messed up bad. Elsa felt tears begin to well in her eyes but she forced herself to turn to Honeymaren.

Honeymaren was asleep sitting up.

Elsa didn’t know whether to be relieved or impressed. She poked Honeymaren whose only response was for her chin to fall deeper into her chest. Both, Elsa decided.

“Honeymaren?” Elsa called out to her.

Honeymaren jumped awake and looked around in a sleepy daze. “Wh---?! I’m up!”

Elsa giggled and stood up. “Alright, this is ridiculous. Come, you are going to your room now so the servants can help prepare you for bed.”

Honeymaren let out a giant yawn and stood up. “Prepare me for bed? You just lie down and fall asleep…right?”

Elsa took her hand and led her back towards the castle. “In Arendelle, it’s more than that.”

Honeymaren stretched her free arm. “Hopefully not as complicated as those ‘taxes’ things…”

Elsa laughed again, “Thankfully not.”

Behind them, Anna gleefully watched the two girls walk off into the night hand-in-hand. “Do you see them, Kristoff?!”

Kristoff chuckled and shook his head after the two. “Yeah... Who do you think will say it first?”

Anna crossed her arms with thought. “Hmm, well, I’m betting on Honeymaren, but after tonight, I think I might change that bet.”

Ryder slid by with Sven and called out, “Yeah, I’m betting on Elsa.”

Sven nodded in agreement.

Olaf skated by. “Oh! Are we betting? Illegally? How rebellious and dangerous! My teenager mind wants me to be in on that too!”

Kristoff sighed, “Well, at least we’re getting trained for our children’s teenager years.”

Anna giggled, “Child _ren_?”

Kristoff turned red and looked away bashfully. “Ahem, well, that’s up to you, of course… I don’t do any of the real work in…ahem…that…sooo…” He pointed over to where Ryder was sliding. “I’m…uh…going to go over there now with Ryder.”

Anna smiled as Kristoff skated away, the ice underneath his feet practically melting.


	4. Chapter 4

It was almost ten o’clock at night by the time Elsa and Honeymaren reached the castle. They were greeted by Kai who led Elsa and Honeymaren to the guest hall. Honeymaren was looking forward to getting some sleep after their busy day, but still wasn’t sure what “preparations” the people of Arendelle needed before bed.

“Here is Miss Honeymaren’s room,” Kai announced when they stopped infront of one of the rooms.

Kai stepped forward and opened the door with one hand, pressing himself against the wall so they could look in. Honeymaren peeked around the corner to see a room similar to Elsa’s except with no personal items decorating any of the furniture. Honeymaren’s bag was on the enormous bed that sat on the left side of the room.

“Please, after you,” Kai told Honeymaren, bowing his head and motioning inside with his free hand.

Honeymaren glanced at Elsa who nodded. The Northuldran girl carefully stepped inside and looked around in awe.

“Will Ryder stay here too?” she asked.

Kai followed the two in and shook his head. “Your brother has his own room.”

Honeymaren’s eyebrows rose on her forehead. “So…all this space is just for me?”

Kai looked confused. “…Yes Ma’am.”

Elsa explained to Kai, “The Northuldra live in these tent-like structures called goahti. They are normally small on the inside.”

Honeymaren placed the bag she carried her regular clothes in on the bed alongside the bag she had brought from home. She looked down at the bed and pressed both hands into it. It was soft and sturdy at the same time, making her look forward to sleeping in it.

“Are you okay?” Elsa asked. “Do you want me to explain anything to you?”

Honeymaren turned to the two and shook her head. “No, I’m just ready for some sleep.”

Kai walked past her and opened another door at the end of the room. Honeymaren was shocked to see a room within the room and went over to look inside of it. It was a much shinier room made of stone that was white with dashes of dark colors.

“This is the washroom,” Kai explained. “The servants will be in shortly to draw you a bath.”

Honeymaren blinked and discreetlu turned her face to her shoulder to smell her skin. Her nose flared she pulled her face away from the combined smells of ocean water, sweat, and days old oils she used to wash her hair and body back in the Forest. _Oof._

Elsa giggled at the motion, “A bath before bed is part of the preparations. I think you’ll really enjoy it and find it relaxing.”

“Wait, you can bathe in here? Doesn’t the room get flooded?” Honeymaren asked.

Kai stepped over to the tub and motioned to it with his hand. “This is called a tub, the water collects here and you sit inside of it.”

Honeymaren nodded. “Okay, that makes more sense.”

Elsa smiled and touched Honeymaren’s shoulder. “Please let the servants know if you need anything or would like to speak with me…or, uh, anyone else…” She cleared her throat. “Don’t worry about the servants either, they are paid to do anything you ask, it is their jobs.”

Elsa and Kai nodded their heads at Honeymaren and they began to walk back towards the room door.

“Anything, huh? Will they let me climb the castle?” Honeymaren teased.

Elsa allowed Kai to step out first before she turned to Honeymaren. “Heh ha……absolutely not.” She smirked smugly when Honeymaren pouted. “Good night.”

Honeymaren shrugged her shoulders as the door shut behind Elsa. “Well, it was worth a try.”

Outside in the hallway, Kai turned to Elsa with a slight smile.

“Don’t worry, I made sure her windows were bolted,” he told Elsa.

Elsa giggled, “Thank you.”

Kai nodded and strode back down the hallway, leaving Elsa standing alone by Honeymaren’s door. Elsa glanced at the tall, white door and suddenly felt how Anna must have felt for so many years: she wanted to go inside and be with Honeymaren. Most nights the two would talk for hours, huddled together inside one of their goahti. Sometimes Ryder would join them and Elsa would feel like part of their family. She shook her head and berated herself for being so childish. Honeymaren was exhausted, and Elsa didn’t want to keep her up, they could be together another night.

Then she realized why she felt this way: she was dying to talk to someone, anyone, about their outing and all the feelings she felt in that short amount of time. All these feelings she never felt before were terrifying, but, wonderfully terrifying. She knew that was a total contradiction, but it was a happy one.

Elsa turned and hurried down to the hall to Anna and Kristoff’s room. Once she got close, she noticed two female servants outside the room talking to one another.

“…Such craftsmanship,” Elsa heard the taller one say.

“Yes, but, that doll…a little bit creepy,” the shorter one replied with a grin.

When they saw Elsa approach, they stopped talking and curtsied.

“Good evening, is my sister in there?” Elsa asked.

“No Ma’am. She is in the library with her fiancée,” the taller one replied.

Elsa nodded, thanked them, and headed to the library. She paused infront of the library doors and braced herself for the mess again. Elsa slowly pushed open the doors and peeked inside. The giant mess of papers were gone, now all lined up on the library tables and counters in neat rows. She sighed with relief and stepped inside, greeted by a giant yawn.Anna stretched her arms over her head. “I’m so glad we have the best castle staff in the world.”

Kristoff stood beside her, arms crossed. “Yeah, I’m ready to go to sleep. Ryder’s hard to keep up with…makes me feel like an old man.”

Anna giggled, “You are old though.”

Kristoff grinned. “Don’t let Elsa hear that, we’re the same age, y’know.”

Elsa smirked and cleared her throat loudly. Anna leaped into the air and whirled around with a guilty smile. Kristoff casually turned to Elsa with a smile.

“Oh! Hi, Sis! I thought you were with Honeymaren!” Anna exclaimed loudly, voice cracking guiltily.

Elsa raised an eyebrow in her direction and kept her teasing smirk on her lips. “She retired for the night.”

Anna yawned again. “We’re about to do the same.”

Elsa looked disheartened. “Oh...too tired for a sisterly chat?”

Anna walked over to Elsa and took her hands. “Trust me; I’m **_dying_** to hear all about your day, but…”

Elsa looked down at their intertwined hands. She felt a pang of pain in her heart, deep down knowing they would have less and less time together after Anna got married. It was another con of the two sisters living separate lives, but, apparently, it was natural. She looked back up at Anna whose face was filled with guilt. Elsa smiled and brushed a stray hair away from Anna’s face.

“Okay, I’m pretty tired too,” Elsa gently lied. “We will speak tomorrow.”

Anna nodded and grinned. “And don’t think you’re going to run away and hide from the conversation either. I want details. A lot of them! No, all of them!”

Elsa giggled and released her hands. “Agreed.”

Kristoff grinned and walked up next to Anna. “I’ll let you two have that conversation privately. Besides, Ryder is going to show me how they race their reindeer. I don’t know if Sven is fit enough for that though...”

Anna laughed, “Aw! Kristoff has a friend!”

Kristoff rubbed his neck with a smile. “I gotta admit, I never thought having a _human_ friend would be this much fun.” He looked at Elsa with a teasing grin. “Right, Ice Queen?”

Elsa looked down shyly and nodded. It was nice to have someone other than Anna to talk to. Anna was her eternal naive cheerleader, but Honeymaren was more grounded and serious, so it was easier for Elsa to feel understood by her. While Anna was enthusiastic and positive, Honeymaren was calm and objective. Even today, when Honeymaren questioned her parents’ decision to tell Elsa to conceal and don’t feel, Elsa felt like it was a point-of-view she would never consider until now. She knew it came from a good place, though: Honeymaren seemed worried how her parents affected her. It felt nice that Honeymaren cared but, unlike Anna, she didn’t hound Elsa to change her thoughts and feelings. Honeymaren had dropped the subject and left Elsa with some things to think about.

“Oh…!” Anna squealed. She looked serious again as she shoved her pointer finger into Elsa’s face. “You better not avoid me tomorrow. I _will_ find you.”

Elsa took Anna’s pointer finger between her own fingers and moved it back down. “Good night, Anna.”

Kristoff chuckled and wrapped his arm around Anna’s shoulders. “Come on, the sooner we get to sleep, the sooner it’ll be morning.”

They walked past Elsa with Anna giving Elsa a warning point of her finger again. Elsa shook her head with a smile when they exited the room.

+0+0+0+0+

Honeymaren jumped awake when she heard footsteps entering her room. She was lost in a fog of sleepy confusion as she realized she didn’t even remember falling asleep in the strange new room. Honeymaren automatically reached for her dagger…that wasn’t there…and whipped her head upwards from the pillow. A large group of women, all wearing the uniforms Honeymaren saw Anna’s servants wearing in the library that morning, lined up against the wall. Honeymaren blinked the sleep from her eyes and sat up on the bed.

The oldest of the women, with her grey hair tied tight into a bun on her head, stepped forward. “Excuse us for coming in so suddenly, but, we were asked by Her Majesty to draw your bath and take your clothes to be cleaned.”

Honeymaren’s eyes darted to the women all staring at her. “Uh…sure…thank you?”

The elder maid turned to the other servants and nodded towards the washroom. They all marched into the washroom and Honeymaren slid over on her bed to try to peek inside the washroom to watch them. All she could see was a flurry of dark skirts and hear the head servant order the others around.

Honeymaren frowned and lied back on the bed to stare at the ceiling. She hadn’t been fussed over since she was a child, and it felt strange and wrong to be surrounded by help now. But she was in Arendelle, and she didn’t want to offend Elsa or Anna, so she reluctantly waited for her bath.

After several long minutes, two servants exited the washroom. One of the servants gathered Honeymaren’s Forest clothing into her arms while the other stepped to the side of the bed.

“Follow me, Miss Honeymaren,” the servant at the side of the bed instructed.

Honeymaren nodded and hopped off the bed. She followed the servant into the washroom where once again all the servants were lined up against the wall, all watching her. Honeymaren looked into the tub that was now filled with inviting, steaming water. On the surface was a thick, foam-like substance that popped lightly.

“Go ahead and remove your clothing,” the elder servant instructed.

Honeymaren raised an eyebrow at the elder servant. All the eyes in the room were now focused on her body, and Honeymaren began to feel very uncomfortable. This was far different than casually changing or shedding her clothing in front of the other women of the tribe. The servants all watched like she was an attraction: The Strange, Smelly Woman from the Forest. _Does she have a tail? Did years of eating human flesh corrupt her body?_

She sighed at herself and removed her thick belt, then attempted to remove the ties in the back. Luckily, Elsa had tied them in perfect little bows, making it easier for Honeymaren to just pull them loose. She turned and faced towards the tub and removed the rest of her clothing. As soon as the last pieces dropped, she climbed into the tub and hid under the water. Instantly, two servants rushed over to the pile of clothes, gathered them, and exited the room.

“Okay, thank you,” Honeymaren said to the other servants.

The eldest servant led the others closer to the tub. “I’ll wash her hair---“

Honeymaren jumped. “Wait, what?”

The servants stopped in their tracks.

“You don’t want our help?” the eldest servant asked with a confused expression. “Just relax, it’s our jobs.”

They began their approach again and Honeymaren subconsciously covered herself.

“No! I mean…I’m fine. I want to…soak?” Honeymaren fumbled. “It’s a Northuldra thing, we like to soak!”

The servants exchanged befuddled glances. The eldest servant turned to the others.

“Okay, we’ve been dismissed. Let us leave her alone as she asked,” she announced.

The other servants bowed at Honeymaren and filed out, leaving the eldest one behind.

“I'm sorry,” Honeymaren called after them.

The remaining servant bowed at her. “Do not apologize. We will wash your clothing and return them in the morning.”

She left and Honeymaren breathed out a large sigh of relief. Now that her audience was gone, she sunk into the warm water and tried to relax. The foamy substance bubbled and popped, and when she gathered some of it in her hands, it slowly evaporated. The water smelled like fruits, but Honeymaren knew just “soaking” wouldn’t actually wash her skin and hair properly. She saw several glass jars filled with thick substances, all a different shade of white.

Now she knew why the servants wanted to wash her: even bathing in Arendelle was complicated. Honeymaren also realized that they didn’t leave anything for her to wear.

She cursed under her breath and lied back onto the tub’s cool surface.

[Now what?]

+0+0+0+0+

[Now what?] Elsa thought, wide awake as she stood in the middle of her room.

She glanced at the music box and remembered being so close to Honeymaren. Elsa blushed and slowly rubbed the goosebumps on her arms. 

“This is ridiculous…” Elsa sighed to herself.

She decided that she needed to take a walk outside to clear her head and walked out of her room. Once partway down the hall, she heard someone call her.

“Princess Elsa?” the eldest servant from the group that was with Honeymaren called out to her.

Elsa stopped and turned to greet her. “Just Elsa, please.” She hesitated, and then asked as casually as possible, “Is Honeymaren in bed already?”

The servant shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t know. She asked to be left alone to ‘soak’ in the bath. Apparently, it’s a Northuldra custom.”

Elsa blinked several times. Honeymare lied to get the servants out of her room. Was she okay?

Elsa cleared her throat. “Oh…uh…yes, it is.”

The servant sighed, “I am concerned, though. It looked like she had no idea what to do.”

Elsa could see that. The Northuldra used oils and other natural ingredients found in the Forest to bathe themselves instead of soaps and shampoos. Being forced to strip infront of strangers, put in a bathtub, and being surrounded by jars with labels you couldn’t read would be intimidating, Elsa imagined.

“I will go check on her,” Elsa said quickly.

The servant nodded. “Please let my staff know if we can do anything to help.”

Elsa smiled and waited for the servant to leave her side before she hurried to Honeymaren’s room. She opened the door and crept inside. The bathroom door was ajar and Elsa hesitated as her heart pounded in her chest.

Finally, she meekly called out. “Honeymaren?”

Honeymaren slid against the tub so hard and fast that she plummeted into the water.

Elsa jumped when she heard a giant splash followed by smaller, frantic splashing of water. “Honeymaren?!”

Honeymaren coughed as she pulled herself back into her original position of sitting in the tub. She turned and realized the door was slightly open. “I’m in the bathtub, Elsa.”

Elsa stepped closer to the door and then positioned herself off to the side of it so she couldn’t look in or be seen. “The servants told me you seemed…uncomfortable. I came to check on you.”

Honeymaren sighed to herself and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. Uncomfortable was the understatement of the year.

“…Yeah, kinda,” Honeymaren reluctantly admitted. “Sorry, I’m just not use to being coddled like that.”

Elsa nodded. “I thought so.”

Honeymaren picked up a random jar and squinted at the small, white piece of paper with words stuck to the surface. “And I have no idea what any of these jars are. I opened them and they smelt nice, but, other than that…”

The jar slipped out of her hands and plummeted into the water. She made a noise of pain through clenched teeth when it landed on her thigh and then dug around the water to retrieve it.

“They are soaps and shampoo,” Elsa explained. “Soaps are for your body, and the shampoos are for your hair.”

Honeymaren frowned and turned back to the door. She saw Elsa’s shadow on the wall of her bedroom, but not Elsa. Honeymaren was about to ask her if she could come in and explain which was which, but then remembered her shyness around nudity.

“If I roll them out to you, can you tell me which one is which?” Honeymaren asked.

Elsa took in a deep, silent breath and braced herself against the wall. [She needs my help. I can do this. It’s just Honeymaren, it’s okay.]

Elsa protected the Northuldra from Bruni’s fire, tamed Nokk, shielded Arendelle from an enormous wave, and made the life changing decision to leave the throne: she could do this. She nodded to herself, turned, shut her eyes tightly, and with one hand slowly pushed open the bathroom door.

Honeymaren almost jumped out of the tub when the door opened the rest of the way. She quickly brought her knees to her chest and sunk under the foam as much as she could.

“Uh, you uh, don’t…have to come in,” Honeymaren mumbled, wide-eyed as Elsa stepped inside with one hand shielding her own eyes.

Elsa carefully stepped to the tub, her free hand in front of her, reaching out like she was fumbling in the dark. “It’s okay, I’ll get behind you.”

Honeymaren quickly checked to make sure she was mostly covered by the foam, her knees, and her long, thick hair in the back. She heard her heart beating in her ears, but kept still and stared ahead, hoping she wasn’t blushing. When Elsa’s arm stretched out to the jars on the side of the tub, she subconsciously brought her knees closer to her chest and wrapped her arms around them tighter.

Elsa lowered her hand from her eyes once she saw Honeymaren was completely covered. She reached for the jars and pointed to each one.

Elsa explained, “This is soap, for your body. That one is shampoo for your hair that you rub in and wash out. This one is for after the shampoo and you rub it into your hair, let it set for a minute or two, and then wash out it. Then this one is a moisturizing---“

Honeymaren interrupted, “Even bathtime is a chore for you people…”

Elsa scoffed playfully. “It’s relaxing.”

Honeymaren turned her head towards her and smirked. “But now I know your secret to flawless skin and hair.”

Elsa laughed weakly and touched her braid. “Flawless? I think you’re delusional from lack of sleep.” She looked at Honeymaren’s thick, long hair. “Your hair however…”

She trailed off as her eyes lingered on the dark brown hair. It was parted at the top with one side full of most of the hair and the other left with the rest. Elsa’s fingers twitched, wanting to know how it would feel to run her hands through it.

“I’ll wash it for you,” Elsa offered before thinking.

Honeymaren laughed, “What?”

Elsa cringed, blushed and stood up. “Nevermind, sorry, you’re not a child.”

Honeymaren’s mind was at war. She would love nothing else in the world than to have Elsa wash her hair for her…but there was no way Elsa could be comfortable with that. It would be too awkward, wouldn’t it?

“It’s okay, you don’t have to do that,” Honeymaren said, letting out a fake laugh to reassure Elsa.

“I know, buuut…” Elsa said slowly as she crossed her arms. “You have to show me you can do it by yourself.”

Honeymaren hoped Elsa couldn’t see her ‘oh crap’ face from where she stood. She glanced over at the jars that Elsa had carefully explained what to do with each one. However, while Elsa was explaining, Honeymaren was too busy panicking about Elsa being so close to her to look where Elsa pointed. Honeymaren reached and took the first jar: Elsa probably pointed at them in order, she thought.

“You wish to moisturize your hair?” Elsa asked as she quirked one eyebrow up.

“Uh…sure?” Honeymaren replied nervously. “Moist hair sounds…great.”

Elsa smirked, sat back down on her knees and took the jar away from Honeymaren. “No, it does not sound great.”

Honeymaren sighed as Elsa gathered the jars and placed them on the ground. “Well then, looks like the Fifth Spirit is going to be demoted to a hair washer. I’m sorry.”

Elsa chuckled softly. “Relax.”

It was easy for Elsa to tell her to relax, Honeymaren thought. Her heart pounded in her chest and her blood rushed into her ears as she listened to Elsa’s soft breathing so close to her body.

Elsa picked up a small, tin bucket and placed it in the water behind Honeymaren. When Honeymaren jumped slightly, Elsa apologized soothingly. “I apologize, is this too…awkward? I’ve seen the Northuldra women help each other with their hair before and---“

Honeymaren shook her head. “No, it’s fine.” She paused as Elsa gathered water in the tin, and then turned her head slowly to Elsa with a huge, playful grin. “Wait…do you watch us bathe?”

Elsa squeaked and dropped the tin into the water, causing a large splash to soak her face. “I-I don’t watch! I am not like that!”

Honeymaren laughed, “Relax, I’m teasing!”

Elsa sighed, wiped her face off with one of the small towels by the tub, and reached into the water to retrieve the bucket. “Don’t forget who has ice magic that can freeze water…”

Honeymaren glanced down at Elsa’s hand the water and then smiled nervously at Elsa’s smug expression. “Noted…”

Elsa gathered water in the tin and instructed, “Tilt your head back.”

Honeymaren did so and squeezed her eyes closed against the water Elsa poured on her hair and head. She remained very still as Elsa brushed back her bangs and poured another bucket of water over her hair.

Elsa realized she was breathing a bit too heavily and gulped to quiet herself. She released Honeymaren’s bangs and placed the bucket outside the tub. Elsa picked up the shampoo and poured a bunch of it into Honeymaren’s hair. She reached over and handed the jar to Honeymaren.

“This is the shampoo,” Elsa explained.

Honeymaren placed it on the tub rim. She jumped slightly when Elsa’s hands began rubbing the shampoo into the back of her hair. Elsa’s hands then went to the top of her head and her long fingers began to soothingly massage the shampoo in. Honeymaren’s eyes began to drop close at the pleasurable, slow massage. She bit back a groan: Elsa was good with her hands...

“Elsa?” Honeymaren asked lowly, Elsa’s name slurring from the pleasure she was currently feeling.

“Hmm?” Elsa hummed.

Honeymaren felt a shiver run up her spine. “Do…uh… _did_ the servants bathe you too?”

Elsa chuckled, “Not since I was a child.”

Honeymaren sighed unhappily. “Spirits. I guess I am looked at like a very tall, very strange child here…”

Elsa shook her head. “No, we just want to make sure you and Ryder are comfortable.” She sighed. “I’m sorry that Anna sent in so many servants to help you with the bath. It must have been very intimidating.”

Honeymaren shrugged. “It was different.”

Elsa bit her lip and ran her hands back down Honeymaren’s hair. “Are you uncomfortable now?”

Honeymaren rested her chin on her knees. “No…this is nice. Thank you.”

Elsa blushed and smiled a small, happy smile. She thought she would be terrified, that she would freeze the bathwater and Honeymaren in it, but this was nice and even soothing for Elsa.

“You are welcome,” Elsa replied.

Elsa picked up some stray hair off of Honeymaren’s shoulder and pulled it back with the other pieces of freshly shampooed hair. That’s when she saw it once again: the large, faded scar across Honeymaren’s back. Elsa sucked in a breath and found herself touching it, her magic leaking from the tops of her fingers to cool it, as if she was trying to heal it.

“Hey, that tickles,” Honeymaren gasped and pulled away from her cold fingers with a giggle.

Elsa quickly withdrew her hand and shoved it onto her lap. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know I was doing that…”

Honeymaren settled back and turned to look at Elsa with a smirk. “Pretty nasty looking scar, huh?”

Elsa gulped, “Did…did Mattias…or…?”

Honeymaren let out a confident laugh. “Ha! No! Those old warriors never even got a scratch on me when we got into fights.”

Elsa sighed deeply with relief. “Then…?”

Honeymaren’s smirk turned into a soft smile and she turned away again. Elsa scooted closer to the tub and resumed washing Honeymaren’s hair.

“When Ryder and I were much younger, we were learning to herd the reindeer. Reindeer are normally docile towards humans, even wild ones. But, during rutting season, the male reindeer get pretty vicious,” Honeymaren explained.

Elsa interrupted, “Rutting season?”

Honeymaren grinned up at her. “I guess you can call it mating season too.”

Elsa blinked several times and looked away, flushed. “O-oh… Now I can see why that would be a problem…”

“The male reindeer collect a bunch of female reindeer and claim them as their own,” Honeymaren continued.

“…A reindeer harem…?” Elsa wondered to herself.

“What’s a harem?” Honeymaren asked.

Elsa blushed deeper. “I…I’ve read that it’s when one man marries a lot of women, or when one woman marries a lot of men.”

“That sounds like a headache waiting to happen,” Honeymaren chuckled.

Elsa laughed, “Agreed. So…rutting season.”

Honeymaren nodded. “Yeah, so, it was rutting season and I knew not to get between the male and female reindeer…but…Ryder was too young to understand.”

Elsa swallowed, not liking where this story was going.

“It’s my fault. I wasn’t watching him closely, and the next thing I knew I heard the snorting and screeching of the angriest, biggest male of the herd. He had Ryder backed into a tree, and he was going to charge. I ran over and pushed Ryder out of the way and…” Honeymaren closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side with a grimace.

Elsa soothed Honeymaren by massaging her shoulders. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me.”

Honeymaren shook her head. “Well, after…that…the next thing I knew I was lying on my stomach in the healer’s goahti. I laid there for almost two months, furious with myself. What kind of big sister was I to let that happen?”

Elsa winced as she remembered that fateful night with Anna. “I understand...”

“When I finally was able to stand and walk, I wanted nothing to do with the reindeer again. I was determined to do anything else but what my people needed me to do,” Honeymaren recalled, lifting one hand to wave it slightly.

“I do not blame you at all,” Elsa reassured.

Honeymaren paused, chuckled, and smiled. “Then…Ryder came along and forced me to go with him to the reindeer. He went over to each one, moved their mouths, put on funny voices, and they all ‘apologized’ to me. After that, how could I not be a reindeer herder again with my little brother?”

Elsa laughed, “So that’s the origin of Ryder making the reindeer speak.”

“Yup,” Honeymaren replied. She paused and then asked, “…Why does Kristoff do that?”

Elsa shrugged. “I imagine being an ice harvester was very lonely work.”

“Not the epic tale I was expecting, but, makes sense,” Honeymaren chuckled. She grinned and turned her head back to Elsa. “Ice harvesting…sounds like very… _ice_ -olating work, huh?”

Elsa stared back evenly before she deadpanned, “That was awful.”

Honeymaren burst into laughter and Elsa rolled her eyes with a smile. Elsa reached down to collect the bucket into her hand again. She refilled it with water and washed the shampoo out of Honeymaren’s hair.

“Please don’t repeat that one to Anna, she’ll probably use it at Kristoff at every opportunity she gets,” Elsa sighed. “And then we’ll have to come back to help with a royal divorce.”

“Okay, okay,” Honeymaren snickered.

Elsa shook her head with a smile and gathered conditioner into her hands and then spread it around Honeymaren’s hair. “This one is next, but we have to wait a minute or two before I wash it out.”

Elsa handed Honeymaren the jar of conditioner and Honeymaren placed it after the jar of shampoo.

“So do you want to hear any more gory forest stories while we wait?” Honeymaren teased.

Elsa shook her head. “My mind can only handle one mental image that will forever haunt my dreams per day, thank you.”

Honeymaren shrugged with a teasing smile. “Okay, but if you ever want to hear any more, I got a lot of them.”

Elsa was very sure she did and let the room fall into silence. It was strange how the two were so comfortable with being in complete silence around each other. With Anna, Elsa always found herself forcing conversation, wanting to prove to Anna that she cared deeply for her and she wanted to make up for all that lost time. Sitting in silence also seemed torturous for Anna who said almost every thought that popped in her brain aloud. However, with Honeymaren, the two could sit in silence for hours and then easily begin a conversation again. At first Elsa thought it was because the two were long-suffering older sisters who appreciated a moment of peace, but Anna was convinced it was because the two were “soulmates.” Now, Elsa hoped Anna was right.

She looked down at her lap and curled her fingers that ached to return and bury themselves in Honeymaren’s hair again. Elsa peeked up in time to see Honeymaren rubbing at her neck, the position of her arm emphasizing the muscles that told a silent story of someone whose days were filled with hard labor. By comparison, Elsa’s entire body was delicate and thin. Between Elsa’s small body and her practically glowing white skin, some of the Northuldra women must’ve thought she was dying by the way they almost desperately tried to force her to eat more during meals.

“While we wait, I’ll show you how to use this,” Elsa said as she picked up the moisturizing cream jar. “You use it after your bath to make your skin feel smooth.”

Honeymaren tensed, her heart beating wildly once again. Elsa was going to touch and rub her skin…?

“You’re going to…?” She stopped when she saw Elsa put some into her own hands and rubbed them. “…Oh.”

Elsa looked up, confused. “Oh what?”

Honeymaren blushed and looked away. “Nothing.”

Elsa put her one hand up, palm facing up, and used her fingers on her other hand to rub it in. “See? You just rub it into your skin.”

Honeymaren looked back down at Elsa’s hand. Her skin absorbed the cream and made her hand seem to glow even more than it already did. Elsa offered Honeymaren some and Honeymaren reached out to let Elsa put some into her palm. Honeymaren copied what Elsa did into one of her own palms, but instead of the cream disappearing completely into her own skin, it left behind white outlines of the rough skin and calluses on her hands. The cream on her hand revealed the rough life the Northuldra endured, while Elsa’s hand just got smoother. After all, Elsa and Anna had people to cook for them, bathe them, prepare their beds, guard the castle, and just about everything else the Northuldra had to do themselves. Elsa was eager to help around their camp, and Honeymaren wondered if Elsa’s soft hands would soon end up like hers.

“Are you okay?” Elsa asked with a small laugh. “You look so intense.”

Honeymaren gave her a reassuring half smile. “Sorry, I get in my own head sometimes.”

Elsa looked off to the side with a weak smile. “Tell me about it…” She picked up the bucket and filled it with bathwater again. “I’ll rinse out your hair and then I’ll leave you alone to relax.”

Honeymaren nodded and closed her eyes as Elsa’s too soft hand once again tilted her head back. She had the life in the castle, why would she want to live in the Forest? Would she leave once she really realized how hard it was? Or if Yelana decided to force her to do more work?

“You really don’t look relaxed,” Elsa’s laughing voice interrupted her thoughts. “Baths are supposed to be a time for relaxing, not a time for brooding.”

Honeymaren sighed as Elsa put down the bucket and began to stand. “I’m sorry. I will try harder to relax.”

Elsa giggled, “You can’t try to relax, you just do.” She handed Honeymaren the soap jar and the moisturizing cream jar. “First, soap. Then when you get out and dry yourself off with those towels, moisturize.”

Honeymaren smirked. “And when will I sleep?”

Elsa turned and exited the bathroom. “Eventually.”

Honeymaren sighed and finally brought her knees down so her now aching legs and hips could relax. “Eventually, she says…”

Elsa smirked to herself when she heard Honeymaren complain under her breath. She gently pressed her back against the bathroom door and closed it quietly. Elsa sucked in a deep breath through her nose and then beamed with pride. She had complete control over her magic! Elsa looked down at her hands, bunched them, and then tried to remember how Anna always celebrated small victories.

She clumsily brought her fists to her sides and then threw them into the air just below her chin. “ _Yes_!”

With a new surge of energy and a rush of happiness, she hurried out of the room to find a servant.

+0+0+0+0+

Anna paced by Kristoff for the fifty-third time, hands ripping at her hair.

“She hates me! I know it!” Anna groaned.

Kristoff yawned as he sat under the covers of their bed, more than ready for a good night sleep. “She doesn’t hate you, Anna. You two have different lives now and just got to get use to not always being with each other every moment of the day…and night.” He cracked his neck. “Besides, she’ll thank you if your little scheme works.”

Anna stopped infront of the bed and pointed at Kristoff. “It’s not a scheme! A scheme is…is something evil! Or mean! …Wait…being mean is being evil I guess…so same thing?” She shook her head and pointed more emphatically at Kristoff. “I am sacrificing our sister time to help true love along!”

Kristoff smirked at her pointed finger. “I know, I know…you lied to Elsa tonight so she could continue to spend more time with Honeymaren…who looked like she was going to pass out, by the way.”

Anna bit her lip and withdrew her finger. “…I was not expecting that part…” She sighed and dramatically fell onto the foot of the bed. “Now I’m a horrible sister and a horrible friend!”

Kristoff chuckled and used his foot that was underneath the cover to pet her head. “Listen, it’s going to be fine. You can’t rush something like love. I mean, we waited three years to see where our relationship would go.”

Anna’s voice was muffled against the mattress and sheets. “Yeah, but, we knew we were in love the entire time. I don’t think those two realize they’re in love…”

Kristoff smiled. “They’ll be fine. Just let things happen naturally.”

Anna pushed herself up and sat near his foot to place her hand over it. “But sometimes I really worry about her. Elsa is really sensitive, and sometimes I worry she’s idolizing Honeymaren too much, or that Honeymaren just likes her because she likes nature and spirity stuff and Elsa is the Fifth Spirit and Elsa’s heart will be shattered and---!” 

Kristiff lifted his covered foot to Anna’s mouth. “Ah-ah… _Naturally_. Whatever happens let it happen. _Naturally_. And if your fears come true, which I really doubt by what Ryder was telling me, we’ll be there for Elsa.”

Anna smiled and pushed his foot back down. She crawled over to his side and slithered under the covers next to him. He stretched one arm out so she could nestle underneath it.

“Okay,” Anna sighed and closed her eyes.

Kristoff waited and once he thought Anna was asleep, he finally closed his heavy eyes, happily slipping to sle—

“WAIT!” Anna gasped, shooting up to stare down at him with wide eyes. “What did Ryder say?!”

Kristoff groaned loudly, turned over, and grabbed a pillow to press down on his head. “Good night, Anna.”

“No fair! Tell me!” Anna whined as she uselessly tried to pull the pillow away from his head.

“In the morning, Anna…” Kristoff groaned.

Anna pouted, turned the opposite way from Kristoff, and stared wide-awake into the darkness. “…Now I have to wait for the morning for that story too…hmph… My schemes are backfiring already…”

+0+0+0+0+

Elsa quietly returned to Honeymaren’s room with a small tray. On top of the tray were two cups of chamomile tea and a small plate of shortbread cookies. She snuck in and saw Honeymaren stretched out on the bed dressed in the purple robe the servants had hung in the bathroom. The bottom part of the robe had ridden up her thighs, revealing her bare, long legs. Elsa gulped and felt her face go on fire once again.

She gasped quietly when she heard the crackle of ice and looked down at her feet to see a small sheet of ice spreading towards the bed. Elsa quickly made it disappear and began to take calming breaths to control herself. So much for being in complete control of her magic… She turned and quickly decided she needed to leave the room before her magic turned everything into ice. On her way out, she banged her hip into the vanity and bit back a yelp of pain.

“Who’s there?!” the words were slightly slurred from a startled wake, but Honeymaren’s voice was still strong enough to let her know she would attack if necessary.

Elsa cringed and slowly turned back to see Honeymaren sitting up in bed, eyes dangerous. “Um, I’m back…sorry…”

Honeymaren relaxed and lied back down onto her pillows. She felt a draft and realized her robe was exposing more of her body than she cared for and brought the covers up over herself.

“It’s okay. I’m sorry, I get startled out of sleep easily,” Honeymaren said with a yawn.

Elsa knew from the infamous story of Ryder trying to prank Honeymaren while she slept, but ended up startling her awake which resulted in his neck almost being snapped. She was thankful she was several feet away from Honeymaren right now.

“Whatcha got there?” Honeymaren asked.

Elsa looked down at the tray as if she had forgotten what she was holding. “Oh… It’s calming tea and cookies. Would you like some?”

Honeymaren nodded. “Sure, come on up.”

Elsa tried not to look too pleased as she carefully made her way over to the bed and climbed on. She placed the tray down and handed Honeymaren one of the mugs of tea.

“Wait, let me make sure it’s not too hot,” Elsa said.

Honeymaren watched intensely as Elsa’s pink lips took a sip from her mug. Elsa pulled her head back, shut her eyes and winced.

“Too hot,” Elsa reported with a grimace.

She reached over and touched Honeymaren’s mug with one hand. In an instant, a small coating of frost crept up the mug and then promptly dissipated. Honeymaren watched with rapt interest as she always did when Elsa performed her magic. Elsa released her grip on Honeymaren’s mug and sat back. Honeymaren took a sip and found the tea to be cooled enough to drink.

“Is it too cold?” Elsa asked.

Honeymaren shook her head. “Nope, it’s perfect. Thank you.”

Elsa gave her a shy smile and looked down at her own mug to cool it off too. Honeymaren relaxed and sipped the tea. The two short naps had given her enough energy to sit with Elsa, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to stay awake long. She glanced over at Elsa who very daintily sipped her own tea then closed her eyes and smiled with a soft hum. Honeymaren’s heart leapt into her throat and she quickly looked away.

“So, ah…this bed is really comfortable,” Honeymaren began.

Elsa turned her head and smiled. “I am glad you think so.”

Honeymaren continued slowly, “I’m sure you miss having a bed like this…”

Elsa’s eyes searched Honeymaren’s and then she looked away. After a few seconds of hesitation, Elsa spoke, “What bed I sleep in doesn’t matter. I always had a hard time sleeping, especially without Anna in the room.” She sighed. “Even tonight, I wanted Anna to be with me in my room. But…I find the Forest comforting. The noises of nature, feeling the fresh air and even the rock giants shaking the Earth has become soothing. I don’t feel so alone…I feel…connected?” She bit her lip and peeked up at Honeymaren’s face. “Apologies, it’s hard to explain…”

Honeymaren’s eyes were large and bright. “No, I know exactly what you’re talking about.”

Elsa breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Honeymaren. “Thank you.” She looked back down into her tea as Honeymaren took another sip of hers. “…I often wonder how my mother felt leaving the Forest.”

Honeymaren chuckled and reached for one of the cookies. “She was in love, so…she was happy.”

Elsa’s head snapped up, her eyes wide as she watched Honeymaren casually take a bite out of the cookie. After today, Elsa was sure Honeymaren hated her parents and looked down at her mother especially.

“She was happy to leave everything behind for love?” Elsa asked.

Honeymaren shrugged as she swallowed. “I mean…you left your home for love too, and you seem happy.”

Elsa gasped and felt her entire body flush as she clung to her mug. “W-what do you mean?!”

Honeymaren blinked. “You love Arendelle, its people, and the Spirits, so you came to the Forest for them, right?”

Elsa blinked rapidly and her shoulders sunk. “Oh! Yes. Of course.” She cleared her throat. “But I’m afraid some of that decision was selfish too.”

Honeymaren smirked and gave a slight wave of her hand. “I wouldn’t call anything about your decision selfish.”

Elsa gave Honeymaren a weak half smile and a shrug. When Honeymaren had told her she _belonged_ with them, it was the first time someone had told her that. At that moment, Elsa realized what she had to do, and, where she wanted her life to take her next. At that time, she didn’t really think about how Anna would feel. When she told Anna that she would step down from being queen, Anna understood but was also filled with dread. Elsa ignored it at that time, and reassured Anna she would have Kristoff and the castle staff to help her. It haunted her sometimes, seeing Anna dressed like she used to dress, the crown on her head, her hair tied up like hers use to be… Elsa worried that she had imprisoned Anna so she could be free.

Elsa watched Honeymaren eat the rest of the cookie and drink the rest of her tea. She felt her heart ache as every fiber of her being urged her to tell Honeymaren how she felt. If it was Yelena or Ryder who told her that she belonged, Elsa wondered if she would have thought about moving to the Forest more. Even though they had only spoken for a short amount of time, Elsa knew she was falling for her. She remembered scoffing at Anna for falling for Hans so quickly and felt like a hypocrite.

“Hey, uh…” Honeymaren began timidly. “I’m sorry for what I said about your parents. Spirits know my parents weren’t perfect, but I judged yours too harshly.”

Elsa shook her head. “You said nothing wrong. Anna and I made our peace before we came to the Forest.” She shrugged meekly. “But…I do idolize my mother…perhaps too much.”

“We often forget that our parents are humans,” Honeymaren reassured. “We see them as something beyond human. It’s natural, I think.”

Elsa nodded. “Yes, I think so too.” She looked down at Honeymaren’s empty mug. “Are you done?”

Honeymaren nodded and handed Elsa the empty mug. Elsa scooted to her side of the bed and placed the mugs on the nightstand. Honeymaren stretched her arms over her head and then lied back against the pillows. She turned her head to watch Elsa pick up the cookie tray next and placed it next to the mugs. She snuck a cookie into her mouth, quickly followed by another, and then one more.

Honeymaren felt a dopey smile spread across her face. [What a woman…]

If someone had told her long ago that the fabled Fifth Spirit would have come into her life and taken care of her the way Elsa did today, she would have never believed it.

“Well, I…I will take my leave now,” Elsa announced quietly as she got off the bed and stood. “Good night.”

Honeymaren pushed herself up on her shoulder and studied Elsa. Elsa’s hands were wringing, eyes staring down at her feet almost sadly, and her feet shuffled in place.

“You don’t have to leave, you know. It’s not like we sleep in the same goahti sometimes,” Honeymaren said with a grin.

Elsa’s face practically glowed red. “But…not in the same bed.” She chewed her lip and began to pace in place. “I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable…you’re not my sister.”

Honeymaren’s eyebrows rose on her head. Elsa didn’t see her as a sister: that could be good news or bad news for Honeymaren’s heart.

“Uh…Elsa? You just washed my hair while I was very naked in the tub. You really think sleeping in the same bed will bother me?” Honeymaren teased.

Elsa slapped both hands over her own face from embarrassment, steam practically blowing out of her red ears. “…Did you _really_ have to say it like that?”

Honeymaren laughed as Elsa climbed back into the bed and got under the covers. Elsa picked up one of the spare pillows and tossed it at Honeymaren’s face, but the Northuldra woman caught it with her quick reflexes. Elsa rolled her eyes at Honeymaren and huffed. Honeymaren placed the pillow down and grinned at Elsa.

Elsa turned over to face Honeymaren and stared at her. She was gorgeous with her hair loose, skin glowing from her bath, and that playful smile on her face. The massive bed separated them far enough that Elsa still felt a bit unsatisfied to sleep.

“It’s not going to be easy, you know,” Honeymaren said in almost a whisper.

Elsa blinked out of her thoughts. “I’m sorry?”

Honeymaren lifted one of her hands out from underneath the blankets and looked at her palm. “When I was putting on that moisturizing cream, I saw all the cracks and roughness in my skin. I had to really press down and rub hard to get the cream to disappear. But when you did it, it just smoothly blended into your skin.” She closed her hand, put it back underneath the covers, and then inched closer to Elsa. “Life is not easy in the Forest. Sometimes we don’t even have enough food, but here in the castle, there’s plenty. There are people here who say they will do whatever you want them to do, but in the Forest, we all have to work. Don’t be ashamed if you end up back at the castle where it’s safe and comfortable.”

Elsa gawked at Honeymaren for a few moments. The golden-brown eyes stared back into hers sincerely.

“Don’t worry about me,” Elsa finally replied as she slid closer towards Honeymaren. “Yelana has given me a similar speech before.” Elsa chuckled, “It must run in your family.”

“Thankfully, Yelana’s grumpiness does not,” Honeymaren joked.

Elsa smiled and took her hand out from underneath the covers and reached it towards Honeymaren. She couldn’t reach Honeymaren, so she laid it inbetween them with her palm facing up. Honeymaren looked at it for a moment before she reached out and took it with one of her hands.

“I promise you, I am fine,” Elsa reassured. “I’m where I am supposed to be.”

Honeymaren’s eyes searched Elsa’s face before she relaxed. “Okay.”

Elsa’s smile grew, her blue eyes warm and sincere. She took away her hand and Honeymaren put hers back under the covers. “Now, we should get some sleep.”

Honeymaren yawned and stretched her legs. “Good idea.” She closed her eyes but then opened them. “Wait, are there any more Arendelle routines I have to do before I sleep?”

Elsa laughed, “No, no more.”

Honeymaren sighed and closed her eyes again. “Good.”

Elsa continued to smile and watch Honeymaren as the exhausted woman quickly fell asleep. She watched her for awhile and burned the image of Honeymaren sleeping into her brain. After a minute, she felt the tea take effect and she fell asleep.

+0+0+0+0+

At the very crack of dawn, Elsa woke and sighed sleepily through her nose. She closed her eyes and decided to go back to sleep. She felt warm, comfortable, and her pillow was especially soft……and breathing. Elsa pushed herself up on her palms, wide-eyed as she stared down at Honeymaren, still asleep on her back with one arm stretched out where Elsa once slept. Once again, she had somehow ended up curled into Honeymaren. Elsa began to wonder if she sleep walked…but instead of walking, she was cuddling. _Sleep cuddling_.

Elsa cursed herself and as slowly and quietly as she could, slid off the bed. Honeymaren continued to sleep, breathing deeply. Elsa wrapped her arms around herself as she felt her magic begin the swirl in the pit of her stomach.

[It’s okay, it’s Honeymaren,] she told herself.

Elsa breathed out and decided she should go back to her own room to get ready for the day. She tip-toed towards the door, silently inched it open, and stepped outside into the hall. Elsa leaned her back against the door and gently closed it without any noise. She sighed and walked back towards her room. Once she turned the corner towards the hall her room was in, she saw Anna, her hair its usual morning disaster, dressed in her nightgown, and her arms crossed pensively outside her door. Elsa froze with surprise and quickly debated whether or not she should avoid Anna, but the decision was made for her when Anna turned her head.

“There you are!” Anna sang and rushed over to Elsa.

“Anna, it’s barely morning,” Elsa chided as she let Anna hug her good morning.

Anna took a large step backwards and put her hands on her hips. “Uh, yeah, where have you been? Your bed is all made-up, it looks like you never even slept in it.”

Elsa hid her panic as best as she could, but felt her eyes widen and practically pop out of her head. “I…slept on top of the covers.”

Anna peered at Elsa’s nervous expression. “Uh-huh… So where are you coming from?”

Elsa cleared her throat and darted her eyes away from Anna’s. “I…was taking a walk to clear my head.”

Anna looked her up and down. “In the same clothes and hair you wore yesterday?”

Elsa’s mouth clamped shut, her lips sucked into her mouth to form a thin, red line. “…Yes.”

Anna rolled her eyes with a laugh. “Elsa, you’re a terrible liar.”

Elsa sighed and looked down, “I’m sorry…” She wrung her hands and checked around the hallway. “Can we talk inside my room, please?”

Anna nodded and opened the door for them. Elsa rushed in first and began to pace anxiously. Anna shut the door and raised an eyebrow at her sister.

“Are you…okay? You seemed so happy last night,” Anna asked.

Elsa sighed and sat down on the far side of her bed. “I was…I mean, I _am_ , but…”

Anna jumped onto the other side of the bed and landed on her stomach to look at Elsa. “But what? Elsa…you need to stop over thinking everything. You love Honeymaren, so what?”

“It’s not love!” Elsa argued, but the blush decorating her face and neck said otherwise. “Love doesn’t happen this quickly!”

Anna groaned and rolled onto her back, “Oh no, not this again…” She paused and tilted her head backwards on the mattress to look at Elsa. “Wait a minute… Same clothes…not in your room…” Anna’s eyes widened and she flipped over. “ELSA!”

Elsa quickly put up a finger. “Anna…no.”

“Did you sleep with Honeymaren?!” Anna screeched with surprise.

Elsa looked away and mumbled, “Yes, but---“ She stopped when she realized what Anna was implying. “--- _Not_ like that!” She turned away from Anna’s huge grin. “I like Honeymaren, but it’s not love. Love takes time, and anything that’s happens so quickly like this is just…compensation for something. Maybe I miss you, or, that I admire Honeymaren and wish I was like her? She’s so brave and confident and…”

Anna put her hands on her cheeks. “…Intelligent?”

Elsa rubbed her shoulder. “Yes…”

Anna raised an eyebrow. “…Kind of sexy?”

Elsa hummed, “Mm…” Her eyes snapped wide open, her head shook and she glared at Anna. “Anna!”

Anna laughed and sat up. “Oh, come on, Elsa! Do you miss her when you two are separated?”

“Of course,” Elsa replied. “But that’s---“

Anna interrupted, “And we all know you constantly talk about her, because you do.”

Elsa looked down, defeated. “…I do, don’t I?”

Anna continued, “Aaand…do you get these small urges to be close to her? To take her hand? Do you wonder what her hair feels like in between your fingers? Or---“

Elsa covered her ears and gawked at Anna. “Anna, please! That’s enough!” She uncovered her ears when Anna sat back with a satisfied smirk and arms crossed. “It’s just…Honeymaren understands me, she listens to me, she makes me feel happy and I laugh more than I ever have in my entire life in just a single conversation…” Her shoulders bunched up and her eyes slammed shut. “I don’t know what this is, but I’m scared that I will lose it if I do or say anything.” She opened her eyes again and looked painfully at Anna. "Anna, this morning I woke up and I discovered I had _cuddled into her_ like a child. She surely had to know, I can't believe I..."

Anna frowned as she watched Elsa’s shoulders sink back down with a sigh. One part of her wanted to slap Elsa, and the other part of her wanted to hold her.

“Elsa,” Anna took Elsa’s shoulders and stared into her eyes. “Promise me that, whatever it is you’re feeling between you and Honeymaren, you won’t run away from it.”

Elsa looked into Anna’s eyes and gave a small nod. She smiled shyly at Anna. “Let’s get ready for our day. We have to work on those invitations and discuss what happened yesterday.”

Anna beamed, “Okay!”

She pulled Elsa into a hug and then bounced off the bed. Elsa smiled after her sister and waited for her door to slam shut before she got off the bed.

_I won’t run away._

+0+0+0+0+

A few hours ago, Honeymaren was roused from a deep sleep when she felt something curl into her. In her half-awake state, she figured one of the baby reindeer had snuck into her goahti again. She rolled onto her back and stretched out the arm closest to it so it could snuggle into her shoulder. Once it did, she curled her arm around its head to stroke its long, braided hair……wait.

Honeymaren’s eyes flew open to see the top of Elsa’s head. Elsa was curled up tight into her side with her face pressed into the crook of Honeymaren’s arm. Honeymaren uncurled her arm and let it flop back down into the pillows with a strained sigh. She couldn’t let Elsa do this…could she? Elsa would wake up and feel embarrassed…wouldn’t she? But what would she have to be embarrassed about if Honeymaren just went back to sleep and played dumb? She rolled her eyes at herself: she really needed get herself to fall out of love with Elsa. There was no way anything could happen between them. Elsa was the Fifth Spirit, the Princess of Arendelle (sort of), and far too beautiful and polite and intelligent and…

Elsa sighed in her sleep and pressed her face closer to Honeymaren. Honeymaren’s heart melted and decided that, just for tonight, she would allow herself to pretend they were a happy couple. She would just pretend she was asleep and didn’t know what happened in the morning.

The morning came, and then the afternoon.

In the middle of her deep sleep, something poked her hard in the back. Honeymaren jumped out of her sleep and instinctively flipped over to shield Elsa. She blinked blearily when she realized Elsa wasn’t there, but Ryder was at the side of the bed, holding a large, silver plate like a shield and a broom.

“Ryder…you scared me,” Honeymaren breathed and rubbed her eyes.

Ryder sighed with relief and lowered his makeshift shield. He was dressed in Arendelle clothing with a brown vest, black pants, and a red shirt.

“Sorry, I called your name a bunch of times but you were out cold.” He sat down at the edge of the bed with a grin. “The servants came in to drop off your clothes and were too afraid to wake you after Elsa and I warned them about your habit of lashing out when you get woken up suddenly. Long night?”

Honeymaren sighed and moved to the other side of the bed so Ryder could climb on. “Ugh. I had no idea bedtime could be so complicated. Did they try to make you bathe infront of an audience too?”

Ryder’s lip curled upwards and he shook his head slightly. “No… One of the male servants filled up my bathtub and told me which of those soaps I should use to bathe. What happened to you?”

Honeymaren rolled her eyes. “A dozen servants came in, filled the tub, and made me strip infront of them, and then tried to bathe me like a child. I had to lie about how us strange Northuldra people need to ‘soak’ in order to get them out.“

Ryder laughed, “Wait, wait, wait… A bunch of beautiful women, whose jobs it is to do anything your heart desires…”

Honeymaren groaned and rolled her eyes, “Ryder…”

He held up one hand and continued, “…All came in to _bathe you_ , and you told them to _leave_?”

Honeymaren picked up one of the pillows and smacked his side while he laughed. “It’s not funny! It was embarrassing!”

Ryder continued to laugh as he put up his hands to shield himself from the assault. “Okay, okay! I’m sorry!”

Honeymaren sighed and lied back down, arms spread out. “Ryder…when you were out with Kristoff, did you ever think that…I dunno…how far behind our people seem to be?”

Ryder looked confused. “Far behind? We live up North, so…”

“Not literally,” Honeymaren said as she sat up to look at him. “Like…how different we are from the rest of the world?”

Ryder frowned. “We haven’t seen the rest of the world, Sis. Kristoff told me there are other people who live like us too, and they are doing fine.” He gave her shoulder a light shove. “You’re worrying too much! I made so many new friends and everyone wanted to give me free stuff!”

Honeymaren blinked and shook her head. “Wait…you made friends? How??? And Ryder, we can’t just take their things! They’ll think we’re just a bunch of---!”

Ryder interrupted, “Okay, you’re acting a little crazy, Sis. Quit your worrying and embrace Arendelle.”

Honeymaren’s jaw dropped. How could her brother always be so relaxed and carefree? _It’s because his butt isn’t next in line to be leader…and not the first butt in line to be kicked by Yelana if things go wrong here,_ the little voice inside her head echoed.

Ryder turned and crawled to the foot of the bed. He picked up two piles of clothes, one pile in each hand, and bounced backwards back to his original position. He placed the clothes down side-by-side before Honeymaren and gestured to them dramatically. Honeymaren looked down and saw one of the pile was her regular Forest clothing and the other was a new set of clothing. The new clothing included a pair of black pants, a brown tunic adorned with gold and white decorative patterns, a simple, green sleeveless undershirt, and black boots with gold trims.

Ryder motioned to the Forest clothing. “Now, you could go back to wearing these hot and heavy clothing in the nice, warm weather outside and get ‘is she crazy’ looks…” Honeymaren rolled her eyes. “Or…you can wear this nice, lighter clothing that Elsa took almost an hour to pick out because she really cared about your well-being and how comfortable you would be in them.” Ryder grinned. “And if you’re wondering how I knew that, she had Anna and I help her.”

Honeymaren frowned and looked down at the Arendelle clothing. The image of Elsa stressing over choosing clothing for her to wear both warmed her heart and made her feel a pang of guilt.

“Look, I know you’re stubborn and concerned about our people being seen as good, but, just because you’re wearing Arendelle clothing doesn’t change you. You’ll still be Northuldra…just a less sweaty one,” Ryder said with a grin.

Honeymaren finally broke and smirked up at her brother. “Okay, okay. Thanks, Ryder.” She looked down at her Forest clothing and snatched up her hat. “…But I’m wearing my hat.”

Ryder grinned and reached into his vest. He pulled out his own hat and dropped it onto his head. “Me too.”

+0+0+0+0+

Elsa sat slumped over one of the library tables, surrounded by piles of envelopes. Anna sat across from her, leaned back in her chair and fanning herself with some of the unmade invitations.

“I don’t think she will come though, I’ve heard something about how she’s been involved in magical things with crystals or stones or…whatever…and something about a blue Moon lady?” Anna said.

Elsa hummed against the cool wood underneath her cheek, not fazed by the idea of a princess involved in magical shenanigans. “We’ll see.” There was a knock on the door and Elsa lifted her head. “Come in!”

The door opened to reveal Kristoff, Sven and Ryder crowded at the entryway. “How’s it going?”

“Better than yesterday,” Anna replied as she put down her makeshift fan. “I think we might be done by dinner time.”

Kristoff nodded and stepped in with Sven at his heels. Ryder momentarily disappeared but then returned with Honeymaren dressed in the Arendelle clothing dragging with him. Elsa’s eyes brightened and Anna stood up with a goofy smile.

"There you are!" Anna teased.

Honeymaren scratched the back of her head. "I'm sorry, I was pretty tired."

Elsa bit her lip and Anna glanced over at her.

"You...must have slept like a rock, huh?" Anna asked, keeping her eyes on Elsa.

Honeymaren lied, "Yup, I was dead to the world. I didn't even hear the servants come in."

Elsa looked visibly relieved and Anna discreetly put one hand on her back. Then, Anna did a double-take at Honeymaren's outfit.

“Wait, you’re wearing the clothes!” Anna squealed happily.

Honeymaren blushed and looked down. “Yeah… Ryder didn’t want me to pass out in the Arendelle sun so…” Ryder cleared his throat and looked down at her pointedly. Honeymaren frowned up at him and added, “…And I like the outfit. There’s…pants.”

Elsa hurried over and began to fuss over Honeymaren’s tunic. “Is it the right size?” Her hands went up the tunic and to her collar, causing Honeymaren to flinch and straighten up like a tree. “It’s not too much is it because I have other---“

Honeymaren took Elsa’s hands and gently led them back to Elsa’s sides. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

Elsa sighed with relief and nodded. “You’re welcome…you look…very nice in them…”

Honeymaren rubbed the back of her neck. “You too.” She shook her head. “I mean---you always look nice---in your clothing---in those clothes---in---“

Ryder quickly grabbed her shoulders before she could attempt to say anything else embarrassing, turned her and led her back to the door. “Uh, we’re going out to get lunch with Kristoff, you two coming?”

Anna was grinning ear-to-ear. “No thank you. Elsa and I are going to dine in so we can finish this.”

Elsa gave them a small wave, cheeks a shade of pink. “Have fun.”

Kristoff nodded and turned to follow Ryder out the door. Ryder pushed Honeymaren infront of him who had one hand on her forehead.

“ _You too_?” she chided herself in a quiet hiss.

“You’re such a disaster sometimes,” Ryder teased in a whisper.

Elsa blushed and tucked a stray hair away behind her ear as Anna giggled. Kristoff shrugged at the sisters with a smile and Sven let out an amused snort before they followed the siblings out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m really sorry for the long delay, everyone. For the past 2 months I was getting a variety of medical tests that were very stressful. I’m not in the best of health, and now with the virus, my OCD/anxiety can have another few months of driving me insane with worry…yaaay…
> 
> This story won’t be much longer and I hope to bust it out within the next months. I love all your comments and kudos, thank you for making my day brighter with them. Also thank you to everyone writing fan fic that entertains us all during difficult times. Thank you for reading~

By the time the invitations were done, it was past ten o’clock at night. Elsa watched the servants gather the piles of invites to be sent out in the morning, relieved their task was finally done.

Anna ran over to Elsa and hugged her. “Thank you, Elsa! I’m so glad you’re here to help!”

Elsa smiled and hugged her sister back. “I’m glad to help. It’s been fun.”

Anna scoffed playfully, released Elsa, and walked around her. “Only you would find stuff like this fun.” She stretched her arms over her head and then spun back around to Elsa. “Oh! I have a surprise for you! It’s in here!”

Anna ran past Elsa to the back of the library. She stopped infront of a tall shelf of books and then reached up to take some loose papers placed ontop of a row of books. Elsa watched, curious, as Anna rushed back to her with a happy grin.

“Ta-da!” Anna proclaimed and held up on piece of paper infront of Elsa’s face.

Elsa blinked and instantly recognized Anna’s childhood drawings of what she wanted her wedding dress to look like. She laughed at the memory of Anna drawing increasingly bizarre dresses to make Elsa groan. This one looked like a more traditional dress: white, flowing, and flowers drawn almost everywhere on the dress.

“Aw, I remember these,” Elsa giggled as Anna handed her the pile.

Anna bounced around to Elsa’s back and held her sister’s shoulders as she watched Elsa go through the papers. “You never wanted to draw your own wedding dress ideas. The closest I got you to draw any kind of dress is the kinds of dresses you would wear to _my_ wedding.”

Elsa let out an embarrassed laugh. “Yes, I remember.” She raised her eyebrow at a drawing of Anna wearing a ‘combat dress’ that included a torn dress, dragon-shaped armor pieces, and flames bursting from behind her. “I guess I just…wasn’t interested in romance.”

Anna laughed and let go of Elsa’s shoulders. “Hm…and now you’re magically changing dresses on the fly and cuddling romantically with Honeymaren.”

Elsa gasped and turned to Anna with wide eyes and a blush spread across her cheeks. “That wasn’t on purpose, Anna!”

Anna cackled, “Well, at least these will make wedding dress shopping tomorrow easier.”

Elsa smiled and rolled her eyes. “I don’t think anyone could make anything like what your twisted mind dreamed up.”

Anna shrugged and stepped backwards towards the door. “You never know.”

Elsa followed out of the library and into the hall. “Where did you find those anyway?”

Elsa saw Anna’s shoulders and back tense as she fell unusually silent. Elsa stopped and placed her hands on her hips.

Anna slowly turned with a nervous grin. “I, uh, went into Mother’s study room and snooped around some more…”

Elsa’s hands dropped from her hips. “Oh… Well…did you find anything else?”

Anna’s eyes widened and they darted off to the side. “No, nothing else, really. Just the usual stuff…you would find…in a room.”

“Anna…” Elsa sighed, knowing full well her sister was lying.

Anna shook her head. “I’m not lying, Elsa!”

Elsa inhaled through her nose quietly and studied Anna. By now Anna would’ve exploded about what she was lying about and beg for forgiveness, so whatever she was hiding now must have made Anna think Elsa would not be able to handle it…or it was part of another ‘surprise.’

“Okay,” Elsa resigned.

Anna gave Elsa another smile and led them into their bedroom hallway. “Tomorrow is going to be fun! I can’t wait to try on all the dresses!”

Elsa smiled and nodded. She was looking forward to it too. Anna was so excited for her wedding and Elsa was happy for her. Elsa wondered if she would be able to keep it together, seeing Anna in the wedding dresses. Her baby sister, getting married...

“Do you think Honeymaren will come too?” Anna asked.

Elsa stopped infront of her bedroom door. “I am not sure, honestly. I will ask her in the morning.”

Anna nodded and jogged to her own bedroom door. “Good night, Elsa!”

Elsa smiled. “Good night, Anna.”

+0+0+0+0+

At noon the next day, Honeymaren sat at the large, antique vanity in her room, dressed in a new set of Arendelle clothing the servants left for her. Ryder left after breakfast to go “learn how to play cards” at the docks with his new sailor “friends.” When Kristoff found out from Honeymaren, the look of worry on his face and how fast he left to follow Ryder had Honeymaren concerned. She “borrowed” a sword and went to go after them only to be stopped by Mattias and the castle guard who sent her to her room. Honeymaren wasn’t reassured that Mattias went after Ryder too, but she stayed put.

“Knock, knock!” Anna’s voice sang as her door swung open.

Honeymaren turned to see Anna and Elsa peeking into her room. “There you two are. We didn’t see you at breakfast this morning.”

Elsa entered followed by a grinning Anna. “We apologize; we were busy with more wedding preparations.”

Honeymaren nodded and stood. “That’s what we figured.” She paused. “…So am I allowed to leave my room now?”

Elsa and Anna blinked, exchanged confused glances, and then looked back at Honeymaren.

“Why wouldn’t you be?” Anna asked.

Honeymaren looked off to the side, lips tight together, and then looked back at the sisters with a twisted grin. “No particular reason! I was just…joking?”

Elsa’s eyebrow rose and Honeymaren looked away again.

“Oh! I get it! I think…” Anna proclaimed. She bawled up her hands and put them up by her chin. “Elsa and I were wondering...”

Elsa mumbled, “ _You_ were wondering.”

Anna ignored her and continued, “…If you would like to go with us to help pick out my wedding dress?”

Honeymaren nodded. “Sure!”

Anna’s eye lit up and she whirled around to Elsa who looked pleased as well. “Great! Let’s get going!”

Anna led them out of the room and marched ahead happily.

Elsa looked at Honeymaren with a smirk. “I thought you didn’t like dresses.”

Honeymaren placed a hand on her own chest. “As long as I’m not wearing one, they’re fine.”

Anna listened to the two intensely and imagined Elsa in a wedding gown and Honeymaren in a tuxedo. She bit her lip so hard it almost bled to keep herself from shrieking with joy.

“Perfect,” Anna whispered to herself dreamily.

“Did you say something, Anna?” Elsa asked.

Anna jumped and then turned to the two women. “I was just getting excited about my own dress, sorry!” She gasped and pulled out her childhood drawings from the small bag hung over her shoulder. “I got ideas! See?”

Elsa sighed as Anna shoved the papers into Honeymaren’s hands. “You are not going to make the tailor try to make any of those.”

Anna turned her nose up with a smirk. “I’m the Queen, so I get what I want.”

Elsa massaged her forehead and Honeymaren chuckled at the drawings.

“Ooo, I like the liberal use of fire in some of these,” Honeymaren told Anna.

“I find it troubling,” Elsa grumbled.

Anna waved Elsa off. “Aw, c’mon, Elsa, I was three or something. Everyone likes fire at that age.”

Honeymaren grinned at Elsa. “I know I did.”

“See?!” Anna declared, motioning to Honeymaren with both her hands.

Anna turned back around and led them off again. Elsa gave Honeymaren an exasperated look and Honeymaren’s mischievous grin spread.

+0+0+0+0+

Inside the dress shop, Honeymaren gawked with her mouth hung open, her body bent over with her arms hung infront of her, as two women tailors wheeled out row after row of dresses crammed together. Anna and Elsa waited for all the dresses to be brought out, both whispering and pointing to particular dresses on the racks that they wanted to look at.

The store owner, Miss Thea, a blonde woman who looked only a few years older than Elsa, walked up to Anna with her hands clasped together. “These are the try-on dresses we currently have, but, if you had your own designs or anything in mind, we can do those too.”

Anna nodded. “Thank you. Elsa and I will take a look at what you have.”

Before she could even finish her sentence, she attacked the racks of dresses with Elsa close behind her. Honeymaren carefully crept after them, staring at the many types and colors of dresses in awe.

Honeymaren tugged at a random dress to take a look. “Why are these dresses so…huge? What do you keep under them during weddings?”

Anna hurried over to Honeymaren with a large, green dress with frills and ribbons. “Can you hold this for me?”

Honeymaren nodded and accepted the dress. “I can.”

Anna hurried back to another rack and Elsa charged past her, holding two more enormous dresses. “These too, please?”

Honeymaren tipped backwards and accepted the dresses that buried her face and her upper body in cloth. “No problem.”

Anna tossed three more dresses on top of Honeymaren’s pile, causing the Northuldra woman to struggle to keep all the dresses in her arms without dropping them. “Thanks, Honeymaren!”

Honeymaren stumbled as her hat fell off her head behind her. “Sure…!”

Miss Thea laughed and removed three of the dresses. “I’ll bring out an empty rack.”

She handed the dresses to one of the tailors, picked up Honeymaren’s hat, and placed it back on her head. Honeymaren gave her a weak, embarrassed grin as the other tailor took the rest of the dresses away. Miss Thea smiled, eyes lingering on Honeymaren’s face, before she went to retrieve another rack.

Elsa was frozen in place, wide-eyed as Honeymaren blushed and adjusted her hat on her head. Elsa had seen the way the store owner looked at Honeymaren…and she wanted to rip her apart. She shook her head roughly to clear her mind. Was she jealous? Was that how it felt like to be jealous? Why would she be jealous when---?

“Whuuuuup?!” Anna yelped as she suddenly slid backwards past Elsa.

Elsa gasped and reached out her hand to catch Anna, but she missed. Honeymaren caught Anna before she could crash through the storefront windows.

Anna blinked at Honeymaren and then turned her head to look down by Elsa. Elsa followed where she was staring and saw that the floor around her feet was covered in a thin layer of ice. She gasped and quickly melted it, then looked back at Anna and Honeymaren with an ashamed look.

“I’m sorry! I’m just…” Elsa mumbled.

Anna laughed as Honeymaren released her. “It’s okay! We got a little too overboard and excited!”

Honeymaren laughed too, “You two are digging through these dresses like a pack of animals!”

Elsa looked down at her feet. “Yes…”

Anna touched Elsa’s arm and looked up at her sister with a playful smile. “Ah-ah! You’re not allowed to beat yourself up today! Come on, let’s get back to it!”

Elsa smiled thankfully and gave her sister a nod. Anna quickly went back to work and Elsa glanced over at Honeymaren. The Northuldra woman scratched her leg with her foot and stood at attention. Miss Thea wheeled an empty rack over next to Honeymaren and instructed the tailors to put the dresses on. Honeymaren didn’t even look at the store owner and instead watched Elsa. When Honeymaren caught Elsa’s eyes, she gave Elsa a little, encouraging wave of her fingers in a silent ‘get back to looking’ motion. Elsa smiled shyly and joined Anna on her hunt once again.

+0+0+0+0+

After picking out a dozen dresses to try on, Elsa and Honeymaren sat in the back of the store in the viewing room. The room had a large separator that acted as a dressing room and in front of it was a viewing stage. Elsa and Honeymaren sat in the chairs that were placed in front of the viewing stage.

Anna breathed in deeply and closed her eyes. She looked at the two women and announced, “Okay, I’m going to start trying on the dresses.” The store owner led her towards the separator. Anna looked back at the two. “Remember: don’t hold back anything!” She disappeared behind the separator with the owner, and then popped back out again. “…Actually, hold back the really mean, personal things because I might cry.”

Elsa chuckled, “Don’t worry, Anna. We’ll be honest and kind.”

“Not too kind,” Anna corrected. “Just…kind-ish.”

She disappeared again and Elsa shook her head with a smile.

Honeymaren laughed and crossed her arms. “We can be kind-ish.”

Elsa raised an eyebrow at Honeymaren. “…Sometimes.”

Honeymaren smirked. “Elsa, you don’t have a mean bone in your body.”

“You’d be surprised!” Anna’s voice called out.

Elsa scowled in the direction of Anna’s voice as Honeymaren hid her laughter behind a hand. “Concentrate on dressing, please.”

“Got it!” Anna’s voice returned.

Elsa and Honeymaren exchanged amused looks before they settled into silence again. Honeymaren looked around the room they were in and the racks of dresses waiting for Anna. Anna had the dresses separated by ones Elsa chose and ones Anna chose. Anna’s dresses were colorful and much less extravagant compared to the ones Elsa chose. Elsa’s dresses were mainly white or light colored, with enormous skirts and lots of details. When someone in her clan got married, they had little choice in what to wear besides the traditional wedding clothing and maybe some accessories that were unique to their families.

“Oooo! Oo-la-la!” Anna’s voice laughed as she appeared in a green and gold dress with long, flowing skirts that flowed like water around her feet.

Elsa’s hand reached over and grabbed one of Honeymaren’s. “Beautiful, Anna…”

Anna grinned as she checked behind her over and over. Elsa peered suspiciously at the movement.

“…Turn around,” Elsa said.

Anna stopped looking behind her and guiltily put her hands behind her back. “It’s the same as the front…”

Elsa’s eyebrows lowered and her mouth drew tight. “Anna…”

Anna sighed and turned to reveal the dress was completely backless.

“Oh no, nope, you are not wearing that to your wedding,” Elsa said dismissively.

“Aw, come on, Elsa! Get with the times!” Anna groaned.

“What ‘times?’ That’s just tasteless for a wedding,” Elsa argued.

Honeymaren looked down at Elsa’s hand that was now in a death grip around hers. “Uh…I think Elsa is saying that’s something you would wear _after_ the wedding. On your wedding night.”

Anna giggled naughtily as she tried to look down her back again while Elsa shot Honeymaren a glare. Honeymaren grinned and put up her hands to block any incoming attacks that might be coming her way.

“Actually…Queen Anna is right. That’s the trend,” Miss Thea spoke up sheepishly.

Elsa snapped her head to the store owner. “It’s _not_ a trend for my sister. Take it off.”

Anna blew a piece of stray hair hanging over her forehead back up and slouched off behind the screen again. “Oh boy, if you didn’t like this one, this is going to be a long day…”

The store owner led her back behind the screen with one of Elsa’s dresses in her arms.

Elsa sighed and nursed her forehead. “…I don’t know…am I being too picky?”

“You’re being a sister,” Honeymaren chuckled. “…With a little more conservative tastes.”

Elsa rubbed inbetween her eyes. “Right… This is not my day, this is Anna’s day.” She lifted her head and put her hand out. “Maybe living in the Forest made me miss a few fashion trends?”

“Maybe,” Honeymaren offered with a soft shrug of one of her shoulders.

Elsa continued, barely hearing Honeymaren, “I mean, fashion changes so rapidly these days…I’m not being judgmental…am I? I’m just---”

Honeymaren put her hand on Elsa’s shoulder. “You’re fine; you’re just looking out for Anna. Ultimately, Anna is the Queen, and she gets to wear whatever she wants. We’re just here to give our opinion, which she values.”

Elsa let out the breath she was holding while she watched Honeymaren calmly speak to her. “Okay…” She straightened up in her seat and rolled her shoulders. “I will just give my opinion, nothing more. I will not tell her what to do.”

Anna peeked around the corner of the screen. “Sooo…your opinion on see-through…?”

Elsa stood up from her seat. “You are _absolutely_ _not_ wearing anything see-through!”

Anna grinned and laughed as she disappeared behind the screen, happy she got a rise out of Elsa.

Elsa blinked, realizing what she just did, and turned back to Honeymaren. “…Maybe I should let you speak first from now on…”

Honeymaren sat back in her seat, smirked, and crossed her legs. “Maybe.” She patted her hand on Elsa’s seat and watched Elsa sink right down into it, arms crossed with a pout on her face. Honeymaren patted her head. “Relax, Elsa, you’re fine. Anna just likes to tease you.”

Elsa let out a long, forlorn noise in her throat and rested her head on Honeymaren’s shoulder. Honeymaren hooked her arm behind Elsa’s head to hold the sulking woman’s head in place.

“My little sister is getting married…” Elsa whined in a small, quiet voice.

Honeymaren smiled down at her and nodded. She put one hand on Elsa’s lap and patted it. Elsa responded by reaching out and holding onto the hand tightly.

After another few minutes, Anna waddled out in one of the dresses Elsa chose. It was a far more traditional and fancy-looking wedding dress with layers of thick skirts and under-trimmings, a long train, and the top completely covering Anna in white cloth. Anna blew at the veil, trying to get it to stay up and away from her face with no avail. Honeymaren covered her mouth in both shock and amusement, quickly darting her eyes to Elsa to make sure it wouldn’t be too inappropriate to laugh. When her eyes caught Elsa’s delighted expression, she coughed in an attempt to stop the laughter that was rising into her throat from her chest.

“I can (phew) barely (phew) move!” Anna complained as she blew at the veil. She gave up and snatched it off her head. “But…do you like it, Elsa?”

Elsa opened her mouth, ready to tell Anna that this was the kind of dress she was suppose to wear, that she would look good in this dress, and that everyone would approve…but then she stopped. Anna had a fake smile on her face, but her eyes searched hopefully for Elsa’s approval. Elsa sighed, knowing her decision to stay in the Forest to be happy was the reason why Anna’s wedding was now more complicated and stressful because she was the new Queen.

“…Take it off,” Elsa reluctantly said.

Anna didn’t even question why as she turned and hurried back behind the screen with the store owner.

Elsa closed her eyes and composed herself before looking at Honeymaren. The Northuldra woman met Elsa’s eyes with an amused smirk.

“Is that what is traditionally worn?” Honeymaren asked, a chuckle mixed in with her question.

Elsa frowned. “What? Don’t you think that dress was nice?”

Honeymaren smirked as a glint in her eyes told Elsa all she needed to know.

“Maybe it was a bit too much…” Elsa admitted.

“A bit,” Honeymaren agreed as she turned her head back to face the front.

After Anna tried on a few more dresses, all of them rejected by either Elsa or herself, Honeymaren felt herself beginning to get antsy. She loved the sisters’ banter over the dresses, and the way Elsa would light-up when she saw her sister in them, but sitting for this long was unnatural to the Northuldra woman. When yet another dress was rejected, she was ready to run outside and climb a tree.

Then, suddenly, Anna raced out from behind the screen, only dressed in her corset and underskirt. “Elsa!”

Elsa gasped and leapt out of her seat, running towards Anna with her arms out. “Anna! What are you doing!? You are in your underwear!”

Anna looked down at herself and waved off Elsa as the older sister shielded Anna’s body as best as she could. “We’re in a private room, and Honeymaren doesn’t care!”

Honeymaren eyed Anna’s clothing with a grin. “That, I do not.”

Anna continued excitedly as Elsa briefly frowned in Honeymaren’s direction, “I was telling Miss Thea about our Northuldra heritage and she suggested Honeymaren can draw us a picture of a Northuldra wedding outfit so we can design one around that!”

Honeymaren put up her hands, frowning. “Woah, woah…I’m no artist. Besides for that, our wedding attire looks much, much….much different from yours.” She looked at Elsa. “Won’t that be a little too untraditional for a Queen?”

Elsa looked between Honeymaren’s serious expression and Anna’s heartbroken one. It was a good question, especially considering how Arendelle was so far reacting to the Northuldra siblings. She couldn’t imagine how the much more stuck-up and easily offended dignitaries would react to a very different and new wedding dress. Elsa bit down on her lip: Anna wouldn’t care. She didn’t care about all the traditional things Elsa was taught to care about.

Elsa cleared her throat and looked confidently at her sister. “I say we give it a try.”

Anna clapped her hands and jumped up. “Yay!”

Elsa looked pointedly at Anna. “…But Anna, you _must_ put on some clothing.”

Anna looked down at herself. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Elsa couldn’t help but smile. “I _am_ right. Now go.”

Anna raced back behind the screen like a child who was promised a treat if they put on their own clothes. Elsa turned back to Honeymaren whose expression, for once, was unreadable to Elsa.

“I can’t draw,” Honeymaren said flatly.

Elsa laughed lightly, “I'm sure you can."

Honeymaren’s lips pressed together as she looked down and away. “…I’m…really touched that Anna thinks of our people so highly that she would break tradition to make a gesture of harmony between us. But, I worry about her. She’s trying so hard to right the wrongs of the past, to reveal the truth of the history of Arendelle…but, it will be a harder fight than she thinks it will be. Who knows, it might take its toll on her.”

Elsa’s eyebrows rose, then she turned her head away, eyes searching the ground for nothing that could be seen. She closed her eyes and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Trust me, Anna is an eternal optimist. She’s not like us – and you know what? Maybe that’s the kind of energy both our people need to make things right again.”

She looked back at Honeymaren whose face was still set in stone. After a moment, Honeymaren let out an amused breath through her nose and looked back at Elsa.

“I gotta admit, Anna does have a way to make everything seem bright,” Honeymaren said.

Elsa smiled and nodded her head. She watched Honeymaren turn to look back down at her feet again. Elsa’s expression softened as she silently hoped that one day she could tell Honeymaren how her world felt brighter when she was with the Northuldra woman.

Anna stumbled out with Miss Thea close behind her, eyes set on Honeymaren. The store owner held a piece of paper and a fancy ink pen in her hand. She motioned for Elsa and Honeymaren to follow them to a closeby table where random strips of fabric and accessories laid.

Anna got between Elsa and Honeymaren to sling her arms around them, bringing them close to her body. “This is so exciting!”

Honeymaren laughed nervously as she slipped out of Anna’s one-armed bear hug. “Don’t get too excited… I really can’t draw.”

Anna continued to grip Elsa close to her body and shook her sister for emphasis. “We’ll be the judge of that.”

Honeymaren sighed and turned to Miss Thea who held out the pen. She took it but couldn’t get the pen out of the store owner’s hand. Miss Thea’s eyes blazed a trail from her hair to her face. When their eyes met, the store owner smiled at Honeymaren in a way that set her face on fire.

Meanwhile, Elsa leaned to a fro, trying to see why Honeymaren and Miss Thea were currently locked in a stare. Anna seemed to notice too and her face twisted.

“Do the Northuldra use pens?” Anna asked loudly, already knowing the answer but desperately wanting whatever was happening between the two women to end immediately.

Honeymaren jumped and turned to the sisters, her golden-brown eyes large and thankful. “Oh, uh, no…but I’ve watched Elsa write to you, so I get the idea.”

Elsa nodded firmly, watching Miss Thea as her heart pounded in her chest. She gulped and took a quiet breath to calm herself before she could cause Anna to go slipping again.

Anna released her and checked Elsa’s face to see if her sister was okay. Elsa’s nostrils flared but other than that, she looked fine so Anna turned back to Honeymaren. “Okay.”

Honeymaren was finally allowed to take the pen and the Northuldra woman mentally shook herself and leaned down to the paper on the table. “I mean…uh…we wear what we normally wear…”

She slowly began to draw a round head, neck, and then a rough outline of a body that wore her normal attire…

Her bangs began to blow back and forth on her head. Honeymaren stopped and turned her head slightly to see that Anna was leaning over her shoulder, breathing intensely.

“Anna, give her some room, please,” Elsa sighed as she pulled Anna away.

“Sorry,” Anna apologized with a small, embarrassed laugh.

Honeymaren turned back to her drawing and drew the rest of her outfit. She placed special attention to her dagger and other tools that hung from her belt.

“The Northuldra wear weapons to their weddings?” Elsa teased as she watched Honeymaren.

Honeymaren smirked up at the Snow Queen. “No, but I will.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Elsa chuckled.

Anna’s grin was enormous as she ribbed Elsa. “You sure will, won’t you?”

Elsa glared at Anna, lips pushed forward and eyes dangerous. Anna giggled to herself and looked away.

The comment went over Honeymaren’s head as she stared down at the paper. Then she began to draw a crown on the head of her figure. It looked almost like a princess crown, except it had ribbons of cloth flowing behind it. Then, over the shoulders and front of the body, she drew scarves and a shawl that made Anna and Elsa’s eyes go wide.

“Wait, that almost looks like Mother’s shawl,” Elsa breathed.

Honeymaren looked up from her drawing. “Yes, but not quite. Your mother’s shawl was made for everyday use. For our weddings, special scarves and shawls are created with brooches that represent the families’ symbols woven in.” She shrugged sheepishly. “It’s probably hard to tell by my drawing.”

“Your drawing is wonderful,” Elsa gently reassured.

Miss Thea seemed especially interested in the drawing. She pointed down to the Northuldra clothing on the paper. “What is your clothing made of? I’m guessing animal hide?”

Honeymaren nodded. “It’s made from reindeer pelts.”

Miss Thea’s eyes once again set on Honeymaren. “Like your hat I’ve been dying to look at all day.”

Elsa blinked, surprised. “Her hat?”

Miss Thea nodded, eyes set on Honeymaren. “May I please borrow your hat?”

Honeymaren nodded and gave her hat to Miss Thea. Meanwhile, Elsa breathed out in relief, realizing Miss Thea had only been interested in Honeymaren’s hat and not Honeymaren herself. The little, possessive feeling that reared its ugly head every time Miss Thea looked at Honeymaren finally subsided for good. Jealousy was not a good feeling.

“I got an idea!” Miss Thea announced, clutching the hat to her chest excitedly.

She placed Honeymaren’s hat back onto her head, turned, and then with one clean stroke of her arm, knocked everything off the table except the paper and pen. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper, and began to draw. Honeymaren stepped back from the table while she adjusted her hat, wide-eyed at how possessed Miss Thea looked as she quickly drew. Anna put up her hands nervously and joined Honeymaren behind Elsa.

Finally, Miss Thea finished and she turned to the other women happily. “Tell me what you think!”

They gathered around the drawing and looked down in awe. Miss Thea had drawn Anna dressed in a flowing, gold and white colored dress with an intricate top covered in silver brooches and patterned weaves of cloth. On top of the drawing’s head was the royal crown except with long trails of ribbons attached behind it.

“It’s…beautiful,” Anna breathed, eyes wide.

Elsa nodded in silent agreement, her own eyes glued to the drawing. Honeymaren looked at the sisters’ expressions with a happy half smile. After a moment of watching the two entranced by the drawing, she couldn’t help herself.

“I think it needs more fire,” Honeymaren joked.

Anna laughed and straightened back up to grin at Honeymaren. “And weapons!”

Elsa scoffed at the two with an amused look, “That would certainly be a wedding to remember.”

Anna turned to Miss Thea and clasped her hands. “Thank you, I will be honored to wear your dress.”

Miss Thea beamed and nodded. “No, thank you, Your Highness. I’ll get started on it right away!”

Anna nodded back and turned to Elsa with bright eyes. She stopped when she saw Elsa running her fingers through one of the dresses hung on a rack. There was a distant look in Elsa’s eyes as she stared at the puffy, white dress.

“Elsa?” Anna asked.

Elsa jumped and turned to Anna. “I’m sorry, what?”

Anna let out a confused laugh, “I didn’t say anything.”

Elsa flushed and looked down, embarrassed. “Oh…”

Anna studied Elsa for a moment, trying to guess what had made her older sister act so odd all of a sudden. Then, she had an idea.

She turned to Miss Thea. “Would it be okay for Elsa to try on a dress too?”

Elsa blinked. “What? Why? I-I don’t…”

She turned back to the dress and let her words die on her lips, eyes roaming down the dress’ length.

Miss Thea smiled at Elsa. “I would be honored.”

“Come on, Elsa!” Anna begged as she practically jumped onto Elsa’s back. “Please? Just one?”

Honeymaren smirked, crossed her arms, and cocked her hip. “We don’t have many dress shops back in the Forest, so this is a good chance if you want to try one on.”

Elsa let out small laugh as she looked at Honeymaren. She turned back to the dress and clutched it.

“If it’s alright, then I suppose…” Elsa said quietly.

Before she could get another word out, Miss Thea grabbed her shoulders and herded her behind the screen. “Great! I got just the dress!”

Anna laughed as Elsa was practically thrown into the dressing area with Miss Thea. She sighed and motioned Honeymaren to come sit with her on the chairs. The two women took their seats and sat watching the screen.

“Um, Honeymaren?” Anna asked, fidgeting in her seat. Honeymaren turned and smiled at Anna, so Anna continued. “I need to talk to you privately about something when we get back to the castle…do you have plans?”

Honeymaren shook her head. “Nope, I’m all yours.”

Anna smiled thankfully. “Oh, good!” Then she panicked. “But don’t worry, it’s nothing bad! No bad news!” She looked away, eyebrows knitted. “Well, I hope it’s nothing bad…or wrong. Or…inappropriate…that would be _weird_.”

Honeymaren tilted her head at Anna, one eyebrow raised. “Uh…okay…?”

Anna turned back to Honeymaren with a bashful grin. “I can’t explain anything here or now, but…thank you for agreeing.”

“I’m not exactly sure what I’m agreeing to, but, glad to help,” Honeymaren reassured with a teasing smile and a motion with her hand.

They returned to waiting in silence, both anticipating Elsa’s appearance. Anna was much more openly excited than Honeymaren was, the younger woman’s legs bounced and her bottom lip was caught inbetween her teeth. Honeymaren smirked at her friend and resumed trying to look as cool and collected as possible.

Finally, soft footsteps echoed on the floor. Honeymaren had to gulp hard to stop her heart from going up her throat. Anna flew out of her seat and waited with her fingers clawing at her cheeks. Elsa appeared, wearing a pure white wedding dress with multiple layers of skirts that billowed around her. The top of the dress was layered in ribbons and cloth shaped like flowers and butterflies, all trailing down to her midsection. Honeymaren was hypnotized by Elsa’s sheer beauty, and she suddenly realized she was grabbing her hat in both hands.

Elsa smiled shyly and glanced down at herself before extending her arms out at her sides slightly. “Does it look good on me?”

She looked to see both Anna and Honeymaren staring at her in complete silence. Anna’s jaw was almost comically dropped and Honeymaren had her hat clutched in her hands that covered her nose and mouth. Elsa shifted uneasily and looked back down at herself.

Elsa shut her eyes tightly and turned. “It’s too much, I know.”

“ **AAAAAHHHH!!!** ” Anna suddenly found speech and it was a frightening scream of joy.

Honeymaren fell off her seat at Anna’s high-pitched scream and landed in a tangled mess of limbs on the floor.

Anna ran over to Elsa and looked up and down at her. “Elsa! You look amazing! Oh my goodness, look at how---“

“…Beautiful,” Honeymaren said blankly.

Elsa looked at Honeymaren with surprise. The Northuldra woman was now on her knees, her hat half on her head, seemingly in a daze. The look on her face made Elsa blush and turn away.

“I-I’m not---“ Elsa stuttered.

Anna spun Elsa around to face Honeymaren again. “I know! Isn’t she?!” She turned to Miss Thea. “We’ll take this one too!”

Elsa did a double take at Anna. “Oh no! Anna, I am not getting married, there’s no need for---“

Anna put up her finger, much like Elsa often did to her, and Elsa’s mouth snapped shut. “Maybe…” Anna shifted her eyes towards Honeymaren. “One day…” Elsa shook her head but Anna held her in place. “…You will.”

Elsa breathed out through her nose and shut her eyes. “…It will be in storage, Anna.”

Anna grinned and patted Elsa’s cheek playfully. “So? You like it, and I’m Queen, so…I’ll buy it for you. For your happily ever after.”

Elsa wasn’t so sure she would ever have one. She peeked at Honeymaren who stood and brushed herself off. But, if she were ever to have one, she hoped it would involve Honeymaren at her side.

“Honeymaren! I’m Queen and I say you have to try on a dress too!” Anna joked, comically pointing at Honeymaren.

Honeymaren grinned and waved a hand dismissively at her. “I’d rather be put in your dungeon!”

Elsa laughed at the two and looked down at her dress again. She raised a finger and added ice crystals on the flowers, giving it her own touch as she did with almost everything she wore.

+0+0+0+0+

Later in the evening at the castle, Anna led Honeymaren through the halls, a lantern in her hand. Honeymaren followed Anna closely, once in awhile glancing up at the large portraits that hung on the walls. The painted eyes appeared real in the dark, following the two women down the hall. Honeymaren shook the creepy thought out of her head and concentrated on following Anna.

Finally, Anna slowly and quietly opened the door to the library. “In here.”

Honeymaren stepped inside and Anna followed, quickly closing and locking the door behind them. “I feel like a thief, sneaking around the Castle like this.”

Anna chuckled as she placed the lantern down. “It’s more like a secret mission.”

Honeymaren’s eyebrows rose as Anna snuck over to one of the bookshelves and retrieved an old-looking book bound together by animal skins.

Anna placed the book down on the table infront of Honeymaren, and then she looked up with a serious expression on her face. “Elsa cannot know about this…yet.”

“Yet?” Honeymaren asked.

Anna made an inviting gesture at the book so Honeymaren carefully opened it to the first page. It was filled with Northuldra writing, most of it scribbled down quickly and messily. Honeymaren glanced up at Anna with a surprised expression before she studied the pages again.

Anna chewed her lip. “I found it in my mother’s room, hidden away.” She sighed. “My father banned all Northuldra writing and language, apparently, after my grandfather died during the Forest battle. My mother must have hidden it because of that. I’m pretty sure it’s her handwriting, but, obviously, I don’t know what it says.”

Honeymaren briefly read some of the lines to herself. They were mostly thoughts and expressions of life. “So you want me to translate this?”

Anna nodded. “Or, just some of it. There’s a lot, I know. I just wanted…” She sighed. “I wanted to give Elsa something nice to remember her by. Things are changing, well, they have changed, between us…and it’s going to get even more…change-y…after I’m married, and have kids, and have grandkids---“

Honeymaren nodded sympathetically. “I understand. It’s a very sweet idea, Anna, but, I don’t know how to write my translations down for you.”

Anna smacked her own forehead with her palm. “I forgot! Sorry!” She thought for a moment and then snapped her fingers. “Okay, how about this? While Elsa and I work on wedding preparations, I’ll have a servant come write down what you read!”

Honeymaren considered the idea briefly, and then shrugged. “Sure. Would it be okay if Ryder wanted to help too?”

Anna winked at her. “As long as he’s told it’s a surprise for Elsa and he can’t tell anyone else, sure!”

Honeymaren nodded and smile. “You’re a good sister, Anna. Don’t worry about things changing…because I really doubt the love you two share will never change.”

Anna’s eyes grew large and watery as she let out a strangled, happy noise in her throat. “You’re right, thank you so much.”

Honeymaren picked up the book and paused. “Uh, if this is a journal like I think it is…if I find any…explicit…things…should I…?”

Anna cringed. “Yeah…Elsa idolized our mother, but I don’t think she would want to know any of that…”

Honeymaren nodded and began to walk backwards out of the library with a grin. “Just checking. Let me know when I’ll have a servant to help.”

Anna followed Honeymaren out of the library, rubbing her arms from the very idea that something dirty might be in the book. “Okay.”

+0+0+0+0+

Thankfully, Kai finally unlocked the doors to Honeymaren’s room balcony after swearing an oath that she would not attempt to climb the walls. Honeymaren glanced backwards at the tall, tempting walls of the castle that led to some what she thought would be incredible views of Arendelle, but a promise was a promise. She looked back down at the journal, fascinated by what she was reading.

Iduna did miss nature, she missed the tribe, and she often felt trapped in Arendelle, knowing she was a Northuldra who risked being imprisoned (or worse) by her own husband if she told anyone about her heritage. But, like Honeymaren originally suspected, she was glad to suffer for her husband, and her children, because her love for them outweighed any fear and sadness she temporarily felt.

“I really had you all wrong,” Honeymaren whispered. “But, still, what you and your husband did to Elsa _and_ Anna…”

She turned and went back inside to place the book inside the nightstand drawer. Once she closed the drawer, she went back onto the balcony and looked into the sky. The image of the night when Elsa slept curled on her lap under the stars flashed in her mind, causing a warm shiver to roll up her spine. She would do anything to protect Elsa’s physical and emotional well-being, she knew that now more than ever. Honeymaren wanted Elsa to be happy and feel loved, not abandoned. Anna’s concern about change suddenly made more sense – Elsa could feel like she was being isolated from her family again if things changed too much. Just like when her parents isolated her from Anna and the rest of the world.

Honeymaren sighed: she couldn’t fight ghosts, and she couldn’t change the past.

For now, she thought, translating would have to do.


	6. Chapter 6

Honeymaren lied on her guest bed, one hand behind her head and the other holding Iduna’s journal up to her face. She wanted to read through it another time before she attempted to try to translate any of it with one of Anna’s servants. She wanted to figure out how to translate Northuldra phrases and sayings that wouldn’t make sense to anyone in Arendelle...and to figure out what to do about the last entry.

Iduna wrote in her last entry that she wanted to abandon journaling because she was pregnant with Elsa, and Honeymaren wasn’t sure why that was. If it was because she was scared to be caught writing in the Northuldra language and be exiled from the kingdom, with or without Elsa, then it would be a pretty depressing gift from Anna to Elsa. But, if she changed some wording to make it seem like Iduna was looking forward to the future and would be too busy preparing for Elsa to think about writing in her journal again, then… She shook her head and scrunched her face. …Then once Elsa learned how to read the language, she would know and not be too happy with Honeymaren.

She sighed, snapped the journal shut, placed it back into the nightstand drawer, and curled up on her side. It was still early afternoon and once again Elsa and Anna were busy with wedding preparations. She closed her eyes with a bored sigh through her nose. Honeymaren loved Elsa and her family, but she didn't know how much longer she could stand not doing anything. Ryder, on the other hand, was enjoying his break and even made some money to spend from that “card game” Kristoff and Mattias were worried about. She got up and decided to see if Ryder was still around. 

She left her door ajar behind her as she walked down the hall towards Ryder’s room. As she got closer, she heard four different voices talking over each other with occasional reindeer noises. Honeymaren stopped when she got to his room, surprised to see the door wide open. Inside were Ryder, Mattias, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf all fussing over a handsome piece of men’s clothing hung on the wall. 

“Oh, hi Honeymaren!” Olaf greeted with a wave.

Mattias, Kristoff, Ryder, and Sven leaped infront of the men’s suit on the wall to block it.

“Olaf! You were supposed to tell us when someone was coming, not when they’re already here,” Kristoff scolded as they stepped away from the suit.

Honeymaren checked behind her down the hall and saw that no one else was there. “Don’t worry, it’s just me.” She looked up at the suit on the wall. “What’s going on?”

Ryder put an arm around her. “That’s Kristoff’s wedding suit on the wall. What do you think?”

Honeymaren studied the green jacket with the gold trimmings and the black pants. “Very nice…but Anna’s dress---“

Mattias rushed over and put his finger on her lips. “NO!”

Honeymaren’s eyes blazed as she smacked his hand away. “Touch my mouth again and I’ll bite your finger off!” 

Ryder held her back from further assaulting Mattias. “Calm down there, Sis! He was just trying to stop the bad luck…”

“Bad luck?” Honeymaren asked, confused. 

Mattias, now a good distance away from Honeymaren, explained, “Well, the myth is that if Kristoff or Anna see each other in their wedding attires before the actual wedding, their marriage will not last. It probably doesn’t apply to hearing about Anna’s dress, but you can’t be too careful.”

Kristoff was too busy looking worriedly back and forth between his suit and Honeymaren to pay attention. “Wait, what about her dress?”

Mattias screeched, “No, don’t ask her! Bad luck!”

Kristoff sighed, slumped his shoulders, and rolled his eyes. After a moment, he added, “…And please be as vague as possible.”

“Vague! Vague is good! I’m always a little vague on things,” Olaf said happily. “Strange, I thought things would be clearer now that I’m out of my teenage phase…”

Honeymaren shrugged at the snowman. “Trust me, Olaf, the older you get, the less things make sense.”

Olaf stared at her open-mouthed before a smile spread on his face. “Wow…! That makes me feel a lot better! …I think.”

Honeymaren looked back at Kristoff. “I’ll just say that she took some inspiration from what Northuldra wear to our weddings. But I think your suit is fine as it is. It’s not like she expected you to know what she was doing.” 

Kristoff hummed and looked back at his suit thoughtfully. “But it would be a nice surprise for her if I added something to the suit that looks Northuldran…” 

“Oh!” Ryder said excitedly. “I think I have an idea!” He dashed over to the bed, pulled off a thin, white blanket, and draped it over the suit’s shoulders to make a cross over the chest. “See?”

Mattias looked confused. “…Northuldra wear blankets to their weddings…?”

Olaf gasped cheerfully, “How comfy!”

“No,” Ryder laughed. “It’s just to show that the men wear a long, white scarf put as a cross over his chest.” He pointed to where the blanket crossed. “And usually there’s a brooch or a way to keep the scarf together here…” Then he motioned his hand where the hips would be, “…And a belt to hold it down.” 

Kristoff walked backwards, hand on his chin. “Yeah…I think that’ll look good.” He looked over at Sven. “What do you think, Sven?”

'Sven' replied, “I think it looks dashing!”

Kristoff smiled at Ryder. “I’ll do it!”

Ryder beamed and clapped Kristoff’s shoulders. “Great! Anna will be so happy!” 

Honeymaren nodded with agreement. “Yes, she was very excited about her dress too.”

Mattias cringed and pleaded, “Okay, now that it’s straightened out, can we please put away the suit and stop talking about the wedding attire?”

Kristoff chuckled, “Don’t worry, Mattias. Anna and I have been through a lot already, nothing’s going to break us apart.”

Mattias mumbled under his breath, “…Except supernatural bad luck…”

Ryder stepped over to Honeymaren. “Thanks for your input, Sis.”

Honeymaren nodded. “Sure.” She looked at the men. “So…what are you all doing today? I’m bored.”

Ryder replied, “How about we go outside and spar a little?”

Honeymaren’s eyes brightened. “Sure! I’ve been dying to hit something with a stick.”

Mattias looked nervously at the siblings. 

Kristoff offered, “There’s a great spot by the stables you two can spar in. I’ll show you.”

He led the way with Sven and Olaf close behind him. Honeymaren smirked at Ryder and followed them.

Ryder held his stomach and followed his sister out the door. “Don’t hit me too hard. I ate way too much food this morning…”

Mattias shook his head with a resigned sigh and walked after the group.

+0+0+0+0+

Elsa was in her element in the throne room. Ever since she was a little girl, she loved studying geometry and used her vast knowledge of the subject in her ice magic. She also enjoyed decorating rooms and adding finishing touches to her clothes with patterns and shapes. Right now she was helping the castle decorators plan how the throne room would look for the wedding. Anna had her heart set on making a nature or “forest-y” theme, which made Elsa’s job much easier considering nature loved shapes and patterns just as much as she did…also the fact she was currently living in a forest.

Elsa raised her hands and created ice ribbons with intricate flower-shaped ice on them around the tops of the wall over the thrones. She stepped back and mentally pictured what colors of cloth they should be, and whether the flowers should be real or fake. Anna clapped her hands while the servants around them looked up in awe. 

“Beautiful!” Anna said happily. 

“Wait up!” Ryder’s voice suddenly echoed.

Kristoff ran into the room followed by Sven and the others. He skidded to a halt and looked up where Elsa had created the decorations with wide eyes. The others did the same, except for Mattias who quickly bowed.

“Your Majesty! Apologies for our intrusion,” Mattias apologized. 

Anna hurried over to Kristoff’s side. “I’m sorry, Kristoff! Did you want to be here too? We were just planning, I was going to get your opinions once we had some ideas---“

Kristoff interrupted her by putting up a hand. “It’s okay. Surprise me.”

Anna laughed, “Surprise you? You don’t want to have a say on the wedding decorations?”

Kristoff grinned and nodded at Elsa. “She’s the expert, not me.”

Elsa looked over at Honeymaren who looked at the ice decorations with bright eyes and an impressed half smile on her face. The Snow Queen blushed and looked away with a small smile. Honeymaren was always impressed with her magic. It felt nice to have someone who was continuously impressed by Elsa’s magic, even when Elsa slipped-up and her magic caused problems. 

“But if you two need any help, let me know. We’re going out by the stables for awhile,” Kristoff continued. “Ryder and Honeymaren are going to beat each other with sticks. Should be fun.” 

Anna giggled, “Okay, thank you. Don’t beat each other up too hard; we’re going to take photographs tomorrow!”

Mattias beamed and hopped a little on the back of his heels. “I can’t wait! The photographer painted a new background – it has little baby ducks on it…!”

Honeymaren rolled her eyes, head turned so Mattias wouldn’t see it; but Elsa did. Elsa stood further away with her hands elegantly crossed over her hips. She smiled at Honeymaren and lightly shook her head. Honeymaren felt like a small, immature child at that moment, but she couldn’t help it. Mattias never apologized for the things he and his soldiers did during the times in the Mist, nor for all the times Honeymaren had to deal with their greed or stupidity, so Honeymaren found it difficult to control her temper around him. Even for Elsa’s sake, she couldn’t. Now she really wanted to hit something, poor Ryder. 

“Mattias showed me all of his!” Ryder said. “I can’t wait!” 

Honeymaren turned and began to walk towards the door. “Alright then, let’s not hit each other in the faces this time, Ryder.”

Ryder touched his face as he jogged after Honeymaren. “Definitely not! I’ve been looking good lately thanks to all those soaps and stuff!” 

Kristoff shrugged at Anna, kissed her cheek, and then followed the others out the door. Anna went back to the servants and began to speak with them excitedly. Meanwhile, Elsa stared after the group. Watching Honeymaren spar was always fun, at least for her. While Honeymaren was always impressed with Elsa’s magic, Elsa was always impressed about how such a small woman could take down men twice her size with what was essentially a large, carved tree branch. She felt heat spread across her face and neck as the mental images of Honeymaren wearing her sleeveless undershirt, staff in her hands, her muscles straining underneath her skin…

“Would you please just tell her already?” Anna sighed as she poked the side of Elsa’s head.

Elsa jumped and whirled around to Anna. “I am not thinking about Honeymaren!”

Anna smirked. “Ooo-kay…” Her smirk grew. “You know…I would like to watch them spar, after we figure out these decorations, of course…”

Elsa nodded a little too quickly. “Yes, me too.”

They turned back to the ice decorations and continued their planning.

+0+0+0+0+

Kristoff laid against Sven who ate a snack of carrots in a den of hay. Standing over him was Mattias, who watched the Northuldra siblings spar with training staffs that he had (reluctantly) let them borrow. Olaf watched the two siblings excitedly, a huge open-mouthed smile on his face. 

Honeymaren and Ryder sparred mostly when they wanted sibling time alone to talk. They used it as an excuse to be together for an extended period of time without Yelana getting upset at them for “doing nothing.” 

“I mean, we all wear the same color, same clothing, same…everything… That’s why I say we should bring some cloth back with all the money I made somehow!” Ryder told Honeymaren enthusiastically as he collided into her staff with his, his body leaned over to Honeymaren. “Imagine how good we would all look!”

Honeymaren chuckled, “Yelana would have a stroke, Ryder. She’s a traditionalist.” 

Mattias stepped forward and called out, “Ryder, you shouldn’t lean in too close to your enemies like that, they can headbutt you, or spit on you to distract you, or bite you…“

Honeymaren’s eyes rolled up into her skull as she growled: Mattias kept trying to give them advice, even though they were not taking their session seriously. 

“Oh, right!” Ryder said as he stepped backwards. “…Wait…really? Spit and bite? Gross…”

“We’re fine,” Honeymaren told Mattias through clenched teeth. She turned back to Ryder. “We could bring back some anyway, maybe it could be used for blankets and bedding.”

She raised her staff and Ryder put up his in a defensive position. With a swift crack, her weapon smacked into the middle of Ryder’s, and then she swung it back to her side.

“…You lift your back foot up a little too much…not good for keeping balance…” Mattias said in a strained, small voice. 

Honeymaren lost her patience. She whirled around to Mattias, eyes flashing. “If you think you know so much, then fight me!”

Ryder jumped and hurried over to Honeymaren. “Woah, woah, woah! Calm down, Sis! …Please?”

Kristoff sat up, a look of concern on his face. “Ryder’s right, Mattias can’t help it, Honeymaren. He helps train all the castle’s soldiers.” 

Olaf bounced over to Mattias and patted the long sword that hung from his hip. “Besides, heh, it’s not like a stick can do anything against a sword…” He removed one of his arms and tossed it at the sword. It bounced off and Olaf happily bent down to pick his arm back up. “See?”

Honeymaren stepped closer to Mattias, eyes now blazing. “Oh, you’d be surprised…”

Mattias regarded Honeymaren for a moment. He was a soldier long before she was even born, and he could’ve easily taken out the entire Northuldra tribe with his men if he really wanted to. But, what good was slaughtering an entire people, especially a people who knew the Forest and knew how to survive in it? He and Honeymaren had clashed in the past, mostly over small things, things that Mattias and his men stupidly did when they were cold or hungry. At those moments, he didn’t understand the anger or why they had to fight, but looking back at it now, safe, well-fed, and warm, he knew they were in the wrong. He was thankful the Northuldra didn’t decide to leave them alone to die in the Forest, even though there were moments when he was nose to nose with Yelana challenging her to do so. 

Honeymaren straightened when Mattias simply turned and walked away. Her anger flared, her pride bruised, and she went to go after him, but Ryder held her back by the collar of her shirt. 

“Let go of me, Ryder! I’ve had it! If he wants to fight, we’ll fight!” Honeymaren hollered.

Ryder looked down at Honeymaren, baffled. “You’re the one who wants to fight! What happened to making a good impression?!” 

They both froze when Mattias returned with a sword. Kristoff stood up and held up his hands at Mattias.

“Mattias…” Kristoff said in a warning tone.

Mattias approached Honeymaren. “How about this? I’ll teach you to use a sword.”

Honeymaren frowned. “No thanks. I can use this.”

Mattias sighed through his nose and hung his head. Then he looked back down at Honeymaren. “You do realize that now that everyone knows about the Northuldra and the Forest, that very armed and very dangerous people might come pay your people an unpleasant visit?”

Ryder paled as he let go of Honeymaren. “W-well…Elsa will…”

Mattias looked sternly at him. “And what if Elsa isn’t there?”

Ryder cowered behind Honeymaren whose face was still twisted with anger, eyes peering up into his. “We know how to handle dangerous outsiders – we handled you and your soldiers! We saw how violent and selfish you were!”

Mattias’ face softened. “Technology here, well, it’s gotten a lot more…dangerous…than what I remember. I’m just saying, if you’re bored, I can teach you to fight with something…a little sturdier; something that will give you a real fighting chance.”

Honeymaren looked at the sword in his hands, and promptly knocked it away with her staff. Mattias calmly watched the sword twirl away and stick through Olaf. 

Olaf looked down at the sword in his snowy body happily and then looked at Kristoff. “Look! It happened again!” 

Kristoff gently tugged the sword out of the snowman and turned back to Honeymaren. “Okay, uh, careful with long, pointy, very deadly objects, please…” 

Mattias ignored Kristoff. “I am trying to help you and your people.”

“Funny, you never tried before,” Honeymaren said in a low, dangerous voice.

“That was different,” Mattias responded. He threw down his hands at his side. “You…you’re just as stubborn as Yelana! Things have changed!”

Honeymaren’s voice rose. “You and your men just took, took, took! And when we needed help? Nothing! All you did was raise your swords at us!” 

Mattias rubbed his forehead. “I know.”

“You don’t know!” Honeymaren challenged. 

Ryder stepped between them. “Hey, come on, the past is past. Mattias is protecting Queen Anna for Elsa, isn’t that something?” 

Honeymaren gave her brother an even stare before she used her staff to gently push him aside. Ryder stumbled away with a sigh, knowing nothing got through to Honeymaren when she was this upset. She was infamous for being angry for days until work eventually distracted her. 

“I can defend my people with this,” Honeymaren said as she pointed her staff at Mattias. “Draw your weapon.”

Mattias looked down at his sword hanging from his side and then darted his eyes back to Honeymaren’s serious expression.

“Woah! Hey! No!” Kristoff called out. 

“Come on, Sis! Let this go, please!” Ryder pleaded. 

Mattias shrugged his shoulders and drew his sword. “Fine, have it your way.” He raised his sword in the air. “I really hate to break a fellow warrior’s pride, but---“

“NO!” Elsa’s voice suddenly rang out.

Mattias’ eyes widened as his legs separated underneath him. He slipped onto the now icy ground in a full split, eyes popping out of his head and cheeks puffed out. Ryder, Kristoff, and Sven made sympathetic, pained noises as they flinched away. Honeymaren stared open-mouthed as Mattias let out a soft, high-pitched whimper and fell over on his face. 

Elsa rushed over to Mattias, hands over her mouth. “Oh no! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to do that!”

Mattias looked up weakly and squeaked, “It’s okay…” 

Anna raced over to the scene, jaw dropped. “What happened?” 

Kristoff placed the sword onto a small bench by the stables and sighed, “Honeymaren and Mattias were fighting…again.” 

Elsa looked at Honeymaren, surprised. “Honeymaren?”

Honeymaren scoffed, “He was treating Ryder and I like children!” 

Elsa shook her head in disbelief. “So you were going to fight him? With a stick?” 

“Like a child!” Olaf unhelpfully exclaimed. 

Honeymaren looked down at Mattias and then back up at Elsa. Pride dripping from every pore of her body, she dropped her staff, turned, and walked away with her hands over her head. 

“Honey---“ Elsa called out. 

Ryder stretched his arm out to block Elsa from running after her. “Don’t. She just needs to calm down.” 

Elsa twisted her fingers. “Did…did I say something wrong?”

Ryder sighed through his nose and looked back at Honeymaren. Anna clicked her tongue and looked worriedly up at Kristoff. 

Kristoff watched Honeymaren storm away, arms crossed. “There’s nothing we can do right now, Anna. Mattias and Honeymaren have a lot of history between them.”

Anna looked down. “Yeah… Just like there’s a lot of history between Arendelle and the Northuldra, which we need to make up for.” 

Kristoff sighed and shook his head. “You can’t force the mend, Anna. Sometimes, things just have to happen naturally. Maybe tomorrow, when we take pictures, Honeymaren will see a different side to Mattias.” 

Anna looked up at Kristoff with large eyes, and then turned to look at Elsa. Elsa was listening to their conversation quietly, a look of shame on her face as she tried to comfort Mattias’ pain. 

“I really hope so,” Anna sighed.

+0+0+0+0+

Late that night, Honeymaren lied on her bed, hands behind her head. She had walked laps around the castle to calm down, but it wasn’t enough. Ever since she got to Arendelle, people were treating her like a child, or a strange outsider who needed to be treated like a child. And now Mattias had to really rub it in. She knew her outburst seemed very childish, but it was hard to remain calm whenever he opened his mouth. He was a reminder of being imprisoned by the Mist, and how hard it was to survive in it. 

She rubbed her hands down her face. [Maybe I should just distract myself by reading the journal…]

Honeymaren took in a breath and rolled over to reach for the nightstand, but froze when she was greeted by Elsa’s face.

“Good evening,” Elsa greeted.

Honeymaren shrieked with surprise and fell off the bed, face first. 

Elsa hid her laughter behind her hand. “Are you alright? You didn’t hear me come in?” 

Honeymaren let the rest of her body slide off the bed and then somersaulted into a sitting position by Elsa. “I guess not.”

She looked glumly at Elsa whose eyes twinkled with amusement. Honeymaren looked away and down at her own feet. Part of her wanted to be angry with Elsa, but the other part knew Elsa had no way to know how she felt or what she went through in the Forest with Mattias and his soldiers. She didn’t know about the food they stole, or the young reindeer they killed one winter, or how they looked down at the Northuldra like uncivilized beasts. 

Elsa studied Honeymaren’s sullen expression. “Are you feeling better?”

Honeymaren let out a long sigh before she lied, “Yes. I just needed to clear my head, I guess.”

Elsa knew Honeymaren was lying; it was obvious from the way Honeymaren’s eyes couldn’t meet hers or the low tone in the Northuldra woman’s voice. Whenever Elsa was sad, Honeymaren and Ryder did everything they could to cheer her up: and now it was her turn to try to do the same. 

Elsa stood up and offered her hand. “Do you want to see something?”

Honeymaren raised an eyebrow at her. “What is it?”

Elsa’s smile grew. “You’ll see.”

Honeymaren sighed as she reached out to Elsa’s hand. Elsa helped the woman stand and dragged her towards the balcony. Once they were outside on the balcony, Elsa released her. Elsa turned with a smile and put her hands behind her back.

Honeymaren looked at the view and then looked at Elsa, confused. “Okay…so what are we looking at?”

“Well…” Elsa said slowly, head tilting upwards. “We have to get higher first.”

Honeymaren looked up the wall, and then back at Elsa, eyes wide. “Wait, are you giving me permission to climb the wall?”

Elsa laughed, “No, but, I have a much safer way up there.”

Honeymaren smirked. “Boring.”

Elsa grinned and raised both hands into the air. A large pillar of ice and snow lifted the two into the air and onto a flat part of the Castle’s roofs. Elsa carefully stepped off the pillar first, and then helped Honeymaren off next. She made a swift slicing motion of her hand and the pillar slowly dissolved into soft snowflakes that floated away into the night. 

Honeymaren watched the snow drift away with amazement, and then turned her attention to the view of Arendelle. The houses and shops were all like dots, radiating a soft, orange glow from lanterns and street lights. Honeymaren stared out into the night before she sat down. Elsa stepped over to her and then sat down next to her. 

“The sky looks different here too,” Honeymaren said softly.

Elsa nodded, but remained silent. Honeymaren soaked in the view for another minute before she lied down on her back. From her new point of view, she suddenly noticed Elsa’s hair was down again, the soft, thick strands spilling over Elsa’s thin shoulders and face. Honeymaren decided she liked this view more as she watched Elsa look out over Arendelle. Elsa suddenly looked down at her with a soft smile, and Honeymaren quickly looked away, knowing she was just caught. 

“So...this is nice,” Honeymaren said after clearing her throat.

Elsa agreed, “Yes.”

Honeymaren went quiet again and Elsa studied the woman’s expression. She looked like she wanted to say something, but was holding herself back. Elsa looked away and bit her lip. Was Honeymaren still angry about what happened that afternoon? Should she ask? Should she apologize? Honeymaren had disappeared for the rest of the day, even skipping dinner. Elsa was sure Honeymaren was still angry. Elsa shut her eyes and took in a deep breath. 

Thankfully, Honeymaren spoke again. “I’m…sorry for acting like that today. I just don’t like being talked down to, especially by him.” 

Elsa shook her head. “No, don’t apologize. I just want to understand what happened. Did Mattias say something to make you angry? …Did I say something to make you angry…?”

Honeymaren turned her head to Elsa with a crooked grin. “You doubted the power of my ‘stick,’ but, honestly, anyone would think I was crazy to fight a heavily armed soldier with a practice staff.”

Elsa’s eyebrows shot up and her mouth hung open as she remembered the moment she just had to open her big mouth. She looked down and put her hand on her face in shame.

“Oh no… Honeymaren, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to---“ Elsa apologized.

Honeymaren gently took Elsa’s hand away from her face, taken aback by the tears pooling in the ice blue eyes. “No, it’s okay! Like I said, I was a little crazy in the moment.” 

Elsa bit her lip and let Honeymaren release her hand. “I’ve never seen you so angry before…”

Honeymaren looked up at the sky. A small patch of clouds drifted over their heads: soft-looking, yet intimidating, like the Mist was while it blocked their view of the sky, and trapped them in the Forest. 

Honeymaren shook her head slightly. “…Mattias just…kept nagging Ryder and me, interrupting our conversations, treating us like we were children playing pretend warriors with sticks.” She sighed. “I guess it just reminds me of being trapped in the Forest with them. They looked down on us, even though we helped them…and even after I knocked the teeth out of his big mouth.” 

Elsa didn’t say anything, eyes locked on Honeymaren’s face. She was beginning to understand why Honeymaren had been acting the way she had been acting since they arrived in Arendelle. 

“Olaf was right; I am a child,” Honeymaren sighed. She paused, cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. “…And I can’t believe I’m agreeing with a talking snowman…”

Elsa giggled, lied down and rolled onto her side to face Honeymaren. Honeymaren turned her head to Elsa with an embarrassed smile, cheeks darkened with a blush. “You’re not a child; you’re a grown woman who has been through a lot.” 

Honeymaren let out a frustrated sigh and looked back up at the sky, “I’ve been worried about Ryder and my people this entire time, and I’m the one messing this visit up.”

Elsa slipped closer to Honeymaren. “You aren’t: you just need to relax a little.”

Honeymaren let out another puff of air. “Relax…right.” She finally turned her head back to Elsa, and was momentarily taken aback how close they were. Her eyes automatically focused on Elsa’s soft lips. “…I guess I can do that.”

Elsa felt her chest tighten when she saw Honeymaren’s beautiful, golden-brown eyes stare in the direction of her lips. She suddenly found it difficult to breathe as slowly began to lean in towards Honeymaren, unsure of what she wanted, or even what she was doing. Honeymaren’s eyes flicked up to look into Elsa’s, lips slightly parted. 

“…I understand how it feels, being trapped, I mean,” Elsa admitted. 

The small laugh that burst out of Honeymaren’s lips blew back the strands of hair on Elsa’s head slightly. “I don’t doubt that. It’s funny, isn’t it? How we were drawn together that night? It’s like…we both knew.”

Elsa’s face lit up with a blush. “K-knew?”

Honeymaren continued, “That we both wanted the same thing.”

Elsa gulped. “W-what do we both…” Her eyes trailed across Honeymaren’s body, but then she forced herself to look away. “…Want?”

Honeymaren looked up into the sky with a grin. “Freedom.”

Elsa blinked, rolled onto her back, and muttered blankly, “Oh, um, of course, yes…right. Freedom.” 

They fell into silence again. After another minute, Elsa looked back at Honeymaren and was caught offguard by the kind expression on Honeymaren’s face. Elsa’s eyes looked down to Honeymaren’s lips and then she forced them back up to look into Honeymaren’s eyes. 

“Honeymaren…I’m so relieved you’re not angry with me…I really enjoy spending time with you,” Elsa stuttered, face lighting up the night. 

“I do too,” Honeymaren replied in a happy, friendly, way.

Elsa opened her mouth again, but then snapped it shut. Once again the former Queen of Arendelle, a woman who was (mostly) unafraid to speak her mind infront of all kinds of intimidating dignitaries from all around the world, was too afraid to tell Honeymaren her true feelings. She pulled her lips tight together and then turned away to look into the sky. Elsa brought her hands up onto her stomach and nervously drummed her fingers.

Honeymaren glanced over at Elsa and held back a laugh. Elsa’s mouth was drawn tight, cheeks puffed out, and her shaking fingers drumming on her tight stomach. “Elsa?”

Elsa looked at Honeymaren, eyes wide. “Yes?”

“Relax,” Honeymaren teased. “Enjoy the view.” 

Elsa looked back at the sky and released all the air from her lungs into the air. “Right…sorry.” 

+0+0+0+0+

The next afternoon, everyone was at the local photographer’s home where he had an entire studio set up. Just like Mattias said, the studio was filled with props and pull-down painted backgrounds. 

“I just love family photos,” Olaf sighed happily as he sat in Elsa’s lap. 

Elsa was seated on a stool with Olaf in her lap. Behind them, a plain, dark background hung and infront of them, the photographer fiddled with his camera and lights.

Elsa smiled down at Olaf. “Just the other day you said you hated family and photography.”

Olaf vigorously shook his head. “Oh no! That was just my teenage angst. I’m over that phase now!”

Anna giggled as she stood further off in one corner of the studio with Honeymaren at her side. “This has been a lot of fun so far. I’m glad everyone is here.”

Honeymaren nodded and turned her head to see Mattias and Ryder staring at some photography equipment leaned on the other side of the studio. “Glad to be here.” 

Anna’s soft expression faded into a more serious expression. “So…” She whispered, “Do you think you can translate most of our mother’s journal before Elsa decides to go back to the Forest?”

Honeymaren whispered back, “Yes, I think so. I’m almost ready for your servant to come write it down.”

Anna looked relived and touched her chest. “Okay. I will send her over as soon as you are. I’ll try to distract Elsa as much as I can, but she’s been so efficient with the wedding preparations that I’m running out of work for her to do.”

Honeymaren grinned and shrugged a shoulder at Anna. “That’s Elsa for you.”

Anna nodded and then looked at Honeymaren with large eyes. “I’m sorry; I know you and Ryder probably want to go home too…”

Honeymaren chuckled and glanced over at her brother. “Honestly, if Yelana didn’t have us scared to death of going against her, Ryder would probably stay.” 

The bright flash of the camera and the crack of the lightbulb startled the two women out of their conversation. Elsa stumbled blindly over to them, rubbing her eyes.

“Ugh, I will never get use to that,” Elsa muttered.

“That’s going to be a really cute picture, though!” Anna laughed as Elsa miserably pawed at her eyes. “A mother and her child…”

Elsa managed to roll her throbbing eyes at Anna. “Please don’t say that. It makes me feel…old…” 

Mattias stepped beside Elsa and teased, “Hey… What’s wrong with being old like me?” 

Anna playfully bowed at Mattias. “You, my good sir, don’t look a day over 30.”

Mattias laughed and ran a hand through his graying hair. “Now I know that’s a lie, but I’ll take it.”

He glanced over at Honeymaren who had a hand on Elsa’s shoulder. When she caught Mattias looking at her, she gave him a neutral expression before looking back at Elsa. He let out a silent sigh of relief: Honeymaren was still cold to him, but she wasn’t snapping at him. It was a start, but he still needed to prove himself to be a changed man before they could have a more friendly relationship. 

Kristoff walked over to Anna’s side and wrapped one arm around her. “So, are we doing the bride and groom photos next?”

As Anna and Kristoff flirted back and forth, Mattias noticed Honeymaren and Elsa in their own little world.

“Are you okay? Do you want me to get something for your eyes?” Honeymaren asked Elsa gently.

Elsa shook her head and hid a growing blush behind her hand. “No, thank you. I’m fine.”

Mattias raised an eyebrow and realized what he could do to get on Honeymaren’s good side.

“Okay, who is next?” the photographer asked with a single clap of his hands.

Mattias quickly spoke before Anna could get a single syllable out of her mouth. “Hey! You know what would be a nice picture? Just Elsa and Honeymaren!”

The photographer looked over at Elsa and Honeymaren, both wearing surprised expressions. “Oh! That will be lovely!”

Anna’s entire body shook as she looked over at the two women with an enormous smile on her face. “YES!!!” When everyone turned to gawk at her, Anna quickly cleared her throat and went into her calm, collected Queen mode. “I mean…yes…that will be a good memory for two…very good…best friends.” 

Elsa shot Anna a glare from between her fingers that rubbed at her eyes and masked her new red face. Honeymaren’s face was also flushed red, but her expression was now a nervous one.

“Are you sure? I mean…Ryder is Elsa’s friend too,” Honeymaren said.

Ryder quickly and loudly interrupted, “No! No! It’s fine! Kristoff and I had our picture together, now it’s yours and Elsa’s turn!” 

Sven nodded with Kristoff. 

Elsa got up and turned to Honeymaren. “It is decided then.”  
Honeymaren let Elsa lead her to the camera as the photographer hurried over to the other side of the room and pulled over an elegant, red chair with dark wood armrests that curled against the sides. He pushed the stool away and then placed the fancy chair on a slight angle. 

“Okay, here is my vision: Miss Elsa, you sit in the chair and Miss Honeymaren will stand behind you,” the photographer explained. 

Elsa looked unsure as she approached the chair, glancing at Honeymaren who now stood behind the chair to await instructions. “But…wouldn’t this look too formal? Honeymaren and I are just friends…” 

She glanced at Honeymaren who watched her with an eyebrow raised. Elsa quickly added, “Very close friends! But isn’t this a sort of photo reserved for...” 

Elsa looked helplessly at Anna, but her sister’s wide grin signaled Elsa she was waiting to hear what she thought Elsa was going to say next. 

Elsa’s lips squeezed together as she almost whispered, “…M-married couples?”

Ryder crossed his arms as a sly smile smeared across his face. “Well, I mean, you two are practically a married couple. You do everything together.”

Honeymaren, now blushing, shot her brother a warning look and mouthed “I’m going to kill you” with her bawled fist peeking over the chair. When Elsa meekly glanced at Honeymaren to gauge her reaction to what Ryder had just said, Honeymaren quickly reverted back to a neutral expression, fist hidden behind her back. 

The photographer looked confused. “Erm, I suppose, but I also like to take pictures of female friends in this pose because it looks elegant.” 

Mattias added, “I’m sure you both can take another picture standing side by side like Ryder and Kristoff did! Hey, maybe you two could use that background with the battle painted on it like Ryder and Kristoff did? Eh?” 

Honeymaren perked up as Elsa slowly slid herself into the chair, her face red with humiliation. “Elsa, you can pose with your magic!”

Elsa chuckled weakly, “I don’t know if that’s possible. Although…” She looked over at Olaf who stood directly underneath one of the bright lights set up. Completely unaware that his snowy body was sizzling and steaming, he waved at Elsa happily. “…Maybe I could try perma-frosting something in my hand.” 

Anna finally exploded as she jumped into the air, “Oh! I have some ideas too!” She raced over the bewildered photographer and whispered excitedly, “We can have one with flowers in the background…or…oh! Maybe actual flowers by their feet! And we have to have one with them with their arms around each other…or even hugging!”

Kristoff’s large hand plopped down onto the top of her head and he gently led Anna away from the poor photographer. “Anna…there’s only so many pictures we can take.”

Anna waved her hands at the photographer as Kristoff led her away. “If you need any ideas, I’ll be over wherever my fiancé is taking me to!” 

Elsa sighed and hung her head. She lifted her head back up when the photographer walked around the camera and approached them. 

“So! How would you ladies like to pose?” he asked.

Elsa looked lost as she awkwardly crossed her legs and leaned to the side in her chair. “Um…maybe like this?”

Honeymaren placed one hand on the top of the chair, then withdrew it, then put it on the side, and then pulled it back at her side, clenching her fingers. “I uh…I don’t know what to do with my hands so…I’ll just keep them here.” 

Sven shook his head and rolled his eyes up at Kristoff. Anna’s excitement faded when she realized how awkward and stiff the two women looked. 

“Um…maybe you should give them some suggestions…” Anna said to the photographer.

The photographer studied the wooden women before him and nodded. “Okay, I got it.” 

He kept Elsa mostly the same, except making her sideways lean less painful-looking. The photographer then led Honeymaren to one side of the chair, placed one of her hands behind her back, and the other on the side of the chair. 

Elsa gulped when the photographer took one of her hands and placed it on Honeymaren’s. He curled Elsa’s fingers to latch onto Honeymaren’s warm hand and then stepped back, nodding in approval. 

“There!” he proclaimed. He turned back to the others. “Good?”

Anna’s devious grin was back. “Very good…”

Kristoff smirked and nudged her with his elbow. “It will make a lovely photo.” 

Elsa made a slight and quiet groan in her throat. She peeked up at Honeymaren who was staring down at their hands with wide eyes. Elsa looked away: now they really looked like a married couple. She found herself drifting off into her imagination. Images of living happily married with Honeymaren filled her vision: walking hand-in-hand, living together, cooking meals for each other, sleeping side-by-side, hugging, holding…kissing…

“There! Right there! Hold that smile!” the photographer’s loud voice sliced through her daydreaming. 

Elsa blinked out of her thoughts, unaware of the small, happy smile that was currently spread on her rose-tinted cheeks. “I’m sorry?”

“That smile is perfect – hold it, please,” the photographer repeated. Elsa nodded blankly and did what she was asked. “Now you, Miss Honeymaren. You’re still smirking a little bit, just give me a natural, happy smile like Miss Elsa is doing.”

Honeymaren peeked at Elsa and felt her blood rush into her cheeks again. Elsa had on the most beautiful smile she’s ever seen the woman wore, and it was proving very distracting. Honeymaren turned her head back to the camera and used her free hand to massage her cheeks and jaw. According to Yelana, Honeymaren’s default face was a “reindeer dung-eating smirk” that apparently drove her insane when she was trying to lecture Honeymaren about something. Despite what the Elder believed, Honeymaren couldn’t control it, even with a large amount of concentration that she currently did not have.

“Right, smile. No smirking, just smiling,” Honeymaren said under her breath. 

Ryder called out, “Sis, just relax and smile – it’s easy!” 

Olaf bounced forward. “Oh! She needs to relax? I’ll help!” He raised his hands up slightly and said calmly. “The key to relaxing is breathing…follow my lead.” 

Honeymaren couldn’t believe she was doing this, but she nodded at Olaf. 

The snowman lifted his head and closed his eyes. “Okay, first, breathe in through your nose…”

Honeymaren watched Olaf inhale deeply and forced herself not to question how he was accomplishing this without nostrils. She followed his lead and inhaled through her nose.

“Hold it… Hold it… Very good,” Olaf said in a soothing voice. “Now…exhale…”

In a loud, wheezing voice, Olaf exhaled as if he had just been drowning in water for several minutes. Honeymaren’s eyebrows rose as she kept holding her breath. Olaf continued to nosily exhale and then went into a violent coughing fit. Everyone else, except for Elsa, stared at the snowman with perturbed expressions. 

When he was finally finished, Olaf went back into his calm pose and voice. “And repeat…”

“Uh…! That will be all, Olaf, thank you…” Mattias quickly interrupted him.

Honeymaren released her held breath through her lips in a mix of a sputter and laughter. Elsa blinked out of her daydreaming again and looked at Honeymaren. Honeymaren was smiling and laughing, the hand that wasn’t locked with Elsa’s up by her face. Elsa didn’t know what she was laughing at, but she began to giggle too. 

“Nooo…!” Anna moaned. “Olaf, you ruined the picture…!”

The photographer suddenly went behind the camera, eyes lit up and his eyebrows raised high on his forehead. “No, no…this is perfect…”

The camera flashed, capturing the moment forever.

+0+0+0+0+

Honeymaren stretched her arms high above her head as she sat on a bench outside the photographer’s home, waiting with the men for Elsa and Anna to exit the house. 

“See? I told you that would be fun!” Mattias said to Kristoff and Ryder excitedly. He pulled out a small photo from his coat pocket. “I can’t wait to show Halima!”

Honeymaren put her hands behind her head. “Halima?”

Mattias looked over at Honeymaren, surprised Honeymaren was curious about his life. He proudly strode over to Honeymaren and presented the photograph of Halima and him both looking surprised by the flash of the camera. 

“She’s my Queen…besides for Anna, of course,” Mattias explained.

Honeymaren studied the picture. Soon, she would have a picture of her and Elsa too. She briefly wondered if she should make a special pouch for it so she could hang it on her belt. Honeymaren smiled at the thought that she would be able to show-off Elsa to everyone too. 

“I bet your pictures will look almost as good as mine,” Mattias teased with a wink.

Honeymaren smirked up at him. “We’ll see about that.”

Mattias grinned and went back to Ryder, Sven, Olaf and Kristoff to show them the picture too.

“Again?” Kristoff sighed with a chuckle. “I’ve seen it about a thousand times.”

“I would like to see it again!” Olaf cheered. 

Honeymaren watched the group with a smirk still on her face and then turned back to the house. The windows were lit up from the various sources of light inside as smoke billowed from the chimney. She could make out the silhouette of the photographer’s wife upstairs, preparing for bed. Then, another smaller silhouette was lifted into the air by her: a child? 

Everything about the scene looked cozy and warm. She thought back to the bitter, cold nights in the Forest and how difficult it was to stay warm. Once again, she wondered if Elsa realized what she was leaving behind to live in the Forest with them. She wondered if she and Elsa did get married to each other, would the kind, motherly Elsa would be happy to stay with her without the possibility of having a child of their own. The feeling of dread spilled into her veins and spread its way completely through her body. The more of Arendelle she saw, the more worried she got. 

“Are you ready?”

Honeymaren blinked rapidly out of her thoughts and looked to see Elsa standing elegantly before her, hands gently crossed by her hips. “Oh, yeah, sorry.”

Mattias silently watched Honeymaren get up from the bench and brush her lap off. The dark look on Honeymaren’s face just a few moments ago caused him to realize that perhaps he wasn’t the true source of her misery. 

“Elsa!” Anna called from the front door of the home. She waved when Elsa turned to her and the photographer standing in his doorway. “Can I borrow you for one more second?”

Elsa nodded and hurried over to her sister, leaving Honeymaren to look mournfully after her. Mattias’ eyebrows rose and he nodded to himself: what Ryder told them was true. Mattias didn’t believe it before, but after today… He waited for Elsa to join Anna’s side before he crept over to Honeymaren.

“You know,” he said, leaning to his side and speaking out of the corner of his mouth to Honeymaren. “I was too afraid to tell Halima how I felt too. I just thought that if I became a big-time Lieutenant and the King’s right-hand man that she would throw herself at me; that I wouldn’t have to tell her my feelings myself. It didn’t happen, of course, until I finally told her myself how I felt when I returned from the Forest. Turns out, she was too afraid to tell me her feelings as well.”

Honeymaren slowly turned her head to him, eyes wide. 

Mattias grinned. “I guess what I’m saying is: I’m rooting for you. And…” He nodded at Elsa who was watching Honeymaren with the same, warm, beautiful smile she had on from before. “…I think you have a really good chance.”

He left Honeymaren to gawk after him with an open mouth.

+0+0+0+0+

Mattias cracked his neck and then rubbed it as he made his way down the Castle stairs the next morning. He was just informed by Queen Anna that a new soldier was waiting to train with Mattias by the stables. Mattias made his way to the stables and stopped in mid-step when he saw Honeymaren with a sword in hand. The others were seated by the stables and smiled up at him as he approached. 

When he came up to Honeymaren, the woman took in a breath and looked up at him. “I uh…decided to take you up on your offer…if it’s still available, that is.” She nodded at Ryder who also held a sword, looking excited. “Ryder too.”

Mattias’ eyes looked at Honeymaren’s face and then at the large sword she was holding in one hand. 

“What do you say, Mattias?” Kristoff asked.

Mattias slowly pointed at the sword Honeymaren held. “That’s…a broadsword…that you’re holding……in one hand……”

Honeymaren looked down at the heavy broadsword she easily held with a confused expression. “Is this the wrong sword to use?”

Mattias continued, “…That’s a sword that most of my men can’t handle with two hands……like it’s suppose to be held.”

Anna giggled as she sat next to Elsa and shouldered her older sister playfully. “Ooo-oooo…she’s so strong… Looks like we have a type, huh Sis?”

Elsa playfully knocked Anna away with a quick bump of her own body. 

Mattias shook his head and smiled at Honeymaren. “Let’s get you a better sword to start with.” He turned and went to retrieve another sword, motioning to Ryder with a hand as he did. “Come on, Ryder. Stand next to Honeymaren and we’ll begin.”

Ryder dashed over to join Honeymaren’s side, a huge grin on his face. When he skidded to a halt next to her, she playfully shoved him and he responded with a shove of his own. Honeymaren grinned as she stumbled to the side and looked at Elsa. Elsa was grinning at Anna with a blush on her cheeks as Anna talked excitedly to her. Honeymaren watched and smiled dreamily. 

Mattias thought she had a chance: she needed to take it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The poem Honeymaren reads is loosely based on a few different poems by a Sami poet, Nils-Aslak Valkeapää.

Elsa stood on the library balcony and stared across the sea. Anna was inside the library, going over seating arrangements for the wedding guests with some of her personal servants. Elsa inhaled and closed her eyes. It was nice to be in Arendelle again, and it was a lot of fun to be here with the Northuldra siblings, but she was beginning to feel restless.

She was surprised she hadn’t seen Gale yet and wondered if the wind spirit was guarding the tribe while she was away. Once in awhile, she could almost hear Nokk snort impatiently when the waves crashed against the rocks. Elsa was still human, but after her time in Ahtohallan, she felt like even less than a human than before. Not in a bad way, like when she use to think of herself as a monster, but in a way that brought deep understanding and, sometimes, peace. However, her new connection to the spirits brought a new feeling of responsibility to them and the Forest. Being away for so long was beginning to feel…wrong: Arendelle was not her home.

Elsa sighed. Now she knew how Honeymaren felt.

“And I was the one telling her to relax,” Elsa scoffed at herself as she pushed herself away from the rail.

She turned and opened the glass door back into the library. Anna was in a deep conversation with Kai, both peering down at a layout of the seating arrangement and pointing. When Anna heard Elsa close the door behind her, she lifted her head to look at her sister.

“Everything okay?” Anna asked.

Elsa nodded. “I apologize, I just needed some air.”

Anna placed her hand on her forehead and slid it back to the top of her hair, streaking ink across her skin and hair. “I don’t blame you…I’m ready to put this on hold and call for lunch.” She paused and tapped her chin. “In fact…let’s do that. Let’s take a break, everyone, thank you.”

Kai looked at the other servants. “We will resume this in an hour, please be back by then.”

The servants bowed and streamed out of the room, talking amongst themselves. Kai turned to the sisters, bowed, and took his leave. Anna turned to Elsa happily.

“Wow! I can’t believe how much we’re getting done with you here!” Anna cheered. “Ugh, you’re such a lifesaver…”

Elsa smiled gently and reached out her hands to take Anna’s. “I am glad to help. It’s your big day after all, and I want to make sure it’s your best.”

Anna’s eyes watered and she smiled happily. “Thanks, Elsa.”

Elsa’s face shifted into a more serious look. “However, you know I am unable to stay here for too long.” She brought Anna’s hands up close to her heart. “We both have responsibilities, and mine are to the Spirits and the Forest. I think…I think it’s almost time for us to go back.”

Anna’s eyes shot wide open and a look of panic twisted her face. “But…uh…but…!” She pulled her hands away from Elsa and frantically searched her brain for a way to stall Elsa’s departure. “…The…uh…um…CEREMONY! Yes! The ceremony itself needs to be planned like…uh…my vows! And…which priest to use…and…and---!”

Elsa looked sternly at Anna. “Anna, you don’t need me to do everything for you.” The stern look broke when Elsa smirked and cocked an eyebrow. “What happened to that ‘delegation’ thing you were bragging about? How when I was the Queen, I did everything myself, but you can have ‘a life’ because you ‘delegate’ work needed to be done?”

Anna chuckled nervously, “Ooh…I did say that, didn’t I?” She shook her head and her worried expression returned. “But I was hoping you would stay longer…?”

Elsa frowned. “How long?”

Anna winced and cowered a little. “…Until the end of the month…?”

Elsa’s mouth dropped. “Anna! That’s over two weeks!” She put up a finger before Anna could interrupt. “I’m sorry, I can’t. _We_ can’t. Honeymaren, Ryder, and I cannot leave the Forest for that long plus all the time we already spent here.”

Anna’s heart pumped loudly and she hoped it was bringing more blood into her brain to think of some other way to stall Elsa so Honeymaren could get the translation done. “But…!” An idea popped into her head. Kristoff would kill her for it, but she was desperate. “…Oh well… Poor Ryder was so looking forward to that show…”

Elsa raised an eyebrow at Anna who pretended to pout and kick an invisible rock on the ground. “…What show?”

“At the theater. Kristoff wanted to take Ryder to the upcoming play,” Anna sighed as dramatically as she could. “Poor guy was really looking forward to it… He said he hoped he had enough time to see it…”

Elsa sighed and began to nurse her forehead with her fingers. “We will discuss this during lunch.”

Anna kept her act going until Elsa left the library. Anna sighed with relief and held her chest: hopefully, Kristoff and Ryder would agree to play along. She hurried after Elsa and almost ran into her sister’s back. Elsa stood in the middle of the hallway, looking in the direction of the guest wing.

“What’s wrong?” Anna asked nervously.  
  
Right now, Honeymaren was in her room with one of her servants, translating their mother’s journal. She had to keep Elsa as far away from that direction as possible.

“Do you think we should tell Honeymaren and Ryder lunch is going to be served?” Elsa asked.

Anna quickly replied, “No, I-I’ll send someone up to tell them when lunch is ready.”

Elsa brushed past Anna towards the guest wing, “Well, we are up here now, let’s tell them.”

Anna grabbed Elsa’s shoulders and hauled her backwards. “I’ll tell them then! Y-you go downstairs!”

Elsa shrugged out of Anna’s grip and turned to her with a mix of confusion and annoyance on her face. “No, I will go with you.”

Anna dashed infront of Elsa and stuck out her arms to block her. “It’s okay! You go down and tell the chef to prepare our meals! I’ll go tell everyone else!” When Elsa looked unsure, Anna quickly added, “You’re always gathering everyone up, let me do it this time. I insist.”

Elsa sighed and shrugged. “Okay…”

She turned and began to walk towards the stairs, glancing back at Anna with a perplexed expression. Anna gritted her teeth hard together as she waved at Elsa before turning towards the guest hall.

Keeping Elsa away from Honeymaren was going to be a lot more difficult than she originally thought.

+0+0+0+0+

Honeymaren stood inside her room, Iduna’s journal in hand, and watched the servant Anna had sent to her room sit at the large, antique desk in the room. The servant, Celine, was a tall, pale woman with long black hair tied up into a bun. Honeymaren decided she was pretty, but not as pretty as Elsa, of course. Celine spoke very little and when she did, it was about the task at hand. Honeymaren managed to get her to chuckle once or twice, so the servant wasn’t as icy as she appeared.

Honeymaren waited for Celine to write down the line she had translated onto a piece of paper. Even though she couldn’t read their language, she could tell that Celine had gorgeous handwriting. Honeymaren was glad that Celine wasn’t just hurriedly translating the journal.

“Tell me when the page ends. I would like to keep the translation of each page exactly how they are in the journal, that way Miss Elsa can follow along to learn your language,” Celine reminded Honeymaren.

Honeymaren nodded and looked back down at the journal. “Okay. There’s just a few more lines and---“

Suddenly, the door burst open and Anna practically tumbled inside. When she regained her footing, she looked wild-eyed at the women.

“Change of plans, you need to come downstairs for lunch,” Anna panted as she rushed towards them.

Celine stood up from her seat, a slight frown on her face. “But Your Majesty, we’ve already eaten and there is a lot of work to do.”

Anna hopped in place and looked frantically at the doorway. “Well, I hate to do this, but, as your Queen…” She paused and looked at Honeymaren. “Well, not _your_ Queen, but Celine’s, but I guess as long as you’re in my kingdom, that does give me say, sort of.” She shook her head and tried to look muster a stern look. “I have to demand that you both come join us at lunch.” She shrunk back. “…Sorry!”

Honeymaren laughed, “You know, it’s less intimidating when you apologize.”

Anna grinned weakly and shrugged.

Celine sat back down and looked at Anna. “I understand, Your Majesty. I will have Honeymaren down as soon as we finish this sentence.”

Anna jogged backwards towards the door. “Good! And pretend you’re hungry! A-and not in the middle of translating our late mother’s journal!”

Anna turned and fled down the hall in the direction of Ryder’s room.

Honeymaren blinked after the younger woman and then rubbed her neck with a sigh. “Oh boy…the plan already sounds like it’s falling apart…”

Celine looked up at Honeymaren, pen ready in her hand. “Agreed. It appears we’ll have to hurry this along.”

+0+0+0+0+

Anna led Kristoff and Ryder towards the main dining room where Elsa waited. The three were huddled together, speaking in low voices and whispers as they got close to the entrance of the room.

“Okay, I think I get it now,” Ryder confirmed with a nod of his head.

“Good! Now, do you think you can act really excited about seeing a performance?” Anna asked.

Ryder nodded again. “These ‘performances’ sound a lot like we do during our holidays, so I’m already excited...even though we’re not going…but still, exciting!”

Kristoff looked down at Anna with an exasperated look. “Maybe we should just figure out a simpler way to get Elsa to stay as long as Honeymaren needs instead of making up overly-complicated lies and stories?”

The three cut their conversation short when they turned the corner and entered into the room. Elsa sat at the enormous table by herself, looking smaller than usual. When she saw them enter, she perked up and searched the group. Anna slipped into her seat and the two men sat in their own.

Elsa looked around. “Is Honeymaren coming too?”

Ryder reassured, “She’ll be down soon.”

Elsa nodded and settled back into her seat. As Anna and the others began to discuss lunch, Elsa found her thoughts wandering back to Honeymaren. She wanted to have at least another day to spend with Honeymaren alone; she never got a chance to show Honeymaren other places in Arendelle because of the wedding preparations and other group activities. Elsa placed her cheek on her palm, propping herself up by the elbow on the table. She thought back to ice skating with Honeymaren, how close they were, how warm Honeymaren’s hands were in hers, and how Honeymaren’s laughter pleasantly chimed in her ears…

And then, she thought about how much she wanted to kiss Honeymaren. She didn’t know it at the time, but that desire to press as close as possible to Honeymaren, the tingling in her lips, Elsa knew what she wanted after seeing Anna and Kristoff share one on the ice.

[This is ridiculous, Elsa,] she scolded herself. [Just…do something about it. Say something to her. _Tell her_.]

The voice of doubt whispered in the back of her head: Conceal, don’t feel.

Elsa was slowly beginning to realize that the phrase, which use to be her mantra, wasn’t just used as a reminder of the dangers of her powers, that she could hurt people with them. It was also a way for Elsa to push away people so _she_ wouldn’t get hurt again. Concealing her feelings for Honeymaren meant she didn’t have to risk being rejected or losing Honeymaren as a friend.

But what good was protecting yourself when “yourself” was unhappy? When “yourself” was protected but had to watch Honeymaren fall in love with someone else? …And get married to someone else? …And start a family with someone else?

Elsa shut her eyes tightly. No. It wasn’t worth it. She would be devastated either way: rejection or not.

Minutes seemed to drag by as Elsa’s chewed on her fingernail. She was having a hard time following anything what the others were saying, at one point just giving up and checking out of the conversation. Then, the servants came out with the plates of food to set on the table. Honeymaren’s chair still sat empty.

“Maybe I should go check on Honeymaren,” Elsa said as she stood up.

“NO!” Anna and Ryder shouted at once, jumping out of their seats.

Kristoff cleared his throat loudly into his hand.

“We mean……just sit down and relax, Sis!” Anna laughed in a strained voice as she sat back down. “Maybe she has a really big knot in her hair!”

Ryder nodded as he settled back down to begin to eat. “Yeah! Just look at how much hair she has…”

Elsa did not sit down. She studied Anna, Ryder, and Kristoff for a brief moment. “What is going on?”

Kristoff casually cut into his food. “Nothing.”

Anna loudly agreed, “That’s right! Ryder and I are just worried you’re too clingy!”

Elsa’s eyebrows shot up on her forehead. “Clingy?”

Anna froze as she realized what she had just said. Kristoff sighed and Ryder frantically shook his head at Elsa.

“Did I say clingy? I meant overly-dependent! …No wait! Friendly! …Too friendly…am I really saying that’s a bad thing…? I don’t know what I’m saying! Sit down and relax! Ignore me!” Anna babbled while waving her hands.

Elsa looked down at the table, feeling her magic beginning to curl around her fingertips. Was Honeymaren avoiding her? Was she tired of her? Of Arendelle? Is that why they were acting so suspicious?

“Sorry I’m late!” Honeymaren’s voice suddenly rang out.

Elsa turned with surprise as Honeymaren rushed into the room and jumped into her seat. Anna let out a huge sigh of relief and began to shovel food into her mouth before she could say anything else to upset Elsa.

“Looks good!” Honeymaren cheered as she began to dig into the plate of food set infront of her.

She paused with her fork in mid-air and her mouth open to look at everyone else staring at her.

“…Something wrong?” she asked, eyes darting to each of their faces.

“Nope, nothing,” Kristoff said once again.

Elsa sat down and nodded at the confused Honeymaren. “Yes, we were just…talking.”

Honeymaren looked at Elsa for another moment before she shrugged and began to eat.

Elsa decided to test her theory. “By the way, Honeymaren. Do you want to go out to town with me after lunch?”

Honeymaren paused from eating and looked at Elsa with surprise. “Oh, uh…” She peeked at Anna who frantically shook her head at Honeymaren. “…I…thought you were working on wedding preparations with Anna?”

Elsa looked pointedly at Anna. “I think Anna will do fine by herself for a little while.”

Anna gulped down the food held in her cheeks and argued, “B-but, I really do need your help on this, Sis! You can go into the town any day with Honeymaren.”

Ryder shrunk and looked nervously at Kristoff who continued to eat as if nothing was happening.

“No, I cannot. This is not a vacation, Anna, we’re all putting our important responsibilities on hold for you. We cannot stay here forever,” Elsa said in a low, challenging voice.

Honeymaren quickly interrupted, “Elsa, it’s okay, but, I actually have to…stay in my room…and…um…”

“Meditate! All day! No disturbances!” Ryder burst out. “Today is a…Northuldra holiday where we reflect on……stuff.”

Honeymaren slapped her hand onto her forehead and shook her head at Ryder. When Elsa turned to look at Honeymaren for confirmation, Honeymaren shot her hand back down under the table and gave Elsa a strained grin.

“Yes, it’s a very important ritual,” Honeymaren said through her teeth.

Elsa frowned, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Oh… I apologize then. I didn’t know.”

Ryder waved off Elsa. “It’s fine, Elsa! No harm done.”

They began to eat in silence. Elsa wasn’t dumb. She knew something else was going on where she was out of the loop. Were they protecting Honeymaren from her “clingy-ness” or was it something else they were hiding?

Elsa frowned down at her food and then picked up her utensils to cut into the vegetables on her plate. “So…” She kept her head tilted down, but her eyes looked dangerously at Kristoff and Ryder. “…What performance are you two going to see?”

“Oh! They’re---!” Anna began to answer.

Elsa darted her eyes to Anna. “Anna, I was asking Kristoff and Ryder. Don’t be rude.”

Kristoff’s eye twitched. He didn’t know any plays or performances he could throw out, and, obviously, Ryder didn’t know either.

“We’re not sure yet,” Kristoff said quickly and lowered his head so he wouldn’t have to see Elsa’s icy gaze.

Elsa closed her eyes and too calmly went back to eating her food. “Well, you should decide quickly. Tickets sell out weeks ahead.”

Anna looked back and forth between Kristoff and Elsa before she picked up a fork and tossed it behind her. “Whoops! I’m so clumsy!” She stepped on Kristoff’s foot underneath the table and turned to him sweetly. “Can you help me, Honey?”

Kristoff got the hint and turned in his seat with Anna, both reaching down to the floor where the fork laid.

Anna whispered frantically, “I think she knows we’re lying! Do you think she knows we’re lying?”

Kristoff rolled his eyes and whispered back. “Of course she knows. We just have to hope Honeymaren translates the journal before Elsa drags them back to the Forest.”

Anna groaned in her throat, picked up the fork, and shot back up into a seated position. “Got it! Thanks, Honey.”

Kristoff sighed and hung his head, still turned in his seat. Anna was terrible at lying and acting. This would not end well. Suddenly, Celine entered the dining room and walked over to Honeymaren’s side. Celine leaned over and whispered something near Honeymaren’s ear. Kristoff looked at Elsa who had stopped eating and looking at the two. When Honeymaren laughed lightly and patted Celine’s arm, Kristoff felt the temperature in the room begin to drop. This would _really_ not end well.

Celine exited the room with a small smile and Honeymaren resumed eating with a slight chuckle.

“I’ve…never seen you speaking to one of the servants before,” Elsa said slowly, eyes large.

Honeymaren turned to her with a grin. “You told me to relax and let them do their jobs, so I’m taking that advice…finally.”

Elsa’s face was filled with worry but she managed to crack a smile as her eyes flicked down to the table and back to Honeymaren. “I…suppose I did give you that advice.”

Suddenly, Anna’s fork flew across the table and hit Honeymaren square in the forehead.

Honeymaren held the spot where the fork hit. “Ow!”

Elsa gasped and stood up. “Honeymaren! That didn’t poke you in the eyes, did it?!” She turned and glared at Anna. “Anna! What was the meaning of that?!”

Anna was glaring at Honeymaren, teeth gritted together in a painful, fake grin. “Oops! I’m so clumsy today!”

Honeymaren wiped the bits of food and sauce from her face that the fork had left. “You got good aim!”

Elsa turned to Honeymaren, face red. “Don’t compliment her!”

Anna power-walked to Honeymaren and dragged the older woman off into kitchen by her braid. “Let’s get that cleaned off and find a new fork!"

Honeymaren stumbled after Anna into the kitchen and rubbed the back of her head when Anna released her braid. Anna whirled around and threw her hands into the air.

“What was that?!” Anna demanded in a high-pitched voice.

“What was what? The fork?” Honeymaren asked, confused.

Anna sighed and dropped her hands. “No! Celine! You two were acting…acting like…like…friends! Friendly-ly!”

Honeymaren raised an eyebrow. “Uh…is being ‘friendly-ly’ a bad thing…?”

Anna’s mouth twisted rapidly into different shapes. Every fiber of her being wanted to scream _‘Yes! Because Elsa is in love with you, you idiot!’_ but she couldn’t. Not yet. She had to give Elsa a few more chances first. She swore if Elsa didn’t confess by her wedding, she would announce it during the ceremony.

“Elsa…Elsa is already suspicious something is going on. Celine speaking privately to you and hanging around you all the time will make things worse,” Anna lied.

Honeymaren shrugged. “Well, what can we do? We have to get that journal done soon, Anna.”

Anna dropped her head backwards and hung her arms. “I kno-o-o-o-ow! I don’t know what to do…she really wants to go home soon. I think it has something to do with…spirity stuff.”

Honeymaren’s eyebrows rose and she nodded once. She always forgot that Elsa was one of the spirits. To her, Elsa was Elsa, a girl with magical powers that continually impressed her. She didn’t think about Elsa being something else, because that would mean Elsa wouldn’t belong with her.

“I’ll think of something,” Honeymaren said. “I’m sure Ryder can figure out a way to distract her too; he’s very distracting.”

Anna giggled, “I noticed.” She turned and grabbed a fork off of one of the counters. “Sorry about the flying fork, by the way.”

“Hey, at least it wasn’t a knife,” Honeymaren replied with a smile.

+0+0+0+0+

After lunch, Elsa chewed the fingernail on her thumb, using the other arm to hug herself. Anna was speaking to her, but all she could do was look over her sister’s shoulder at Honeymaren and the servant again. The two were in deep conversation at the end of the hall, standing close to one another. Once in awhile, Honeymaren’s face would light up as she spoke while using her hands. She looked happy to be with the servant, happy to be away from Elsa. Maybe Anna was right, she was too clingy…it wasn’t like Honeymaren liked her back…

“Are you listening?” Anna’s voice broke through Elsa’s increasingly depressing thoughts.

“Uh…” Elsa said blankly, eyes still watching Honeymaren.

Anna blinked at Elsa, and then turned to look where her sister was looking. Honeymaren turned and walked down the hall with Celine leading the way.

“L-looks like she’s off to think about life! Now we should go off and really think about my wedding!” Anna said loudly, stepping infront of Elsa to block her view. Elsa bent side-to-side to try to look over Anna, but Anna kept jumping into her line of sight. “Come on, the quicker we get them done, the sooner you can leave, right?”

Elsa sighed and gave up. She looked at the nervously grinning Anna and nodded. Anna smiled and took her hand to lead her off towards the library. Elsa glanced backwards to look at Honeymaren one last time, but the woman was gone and so was the servant. At this moment, she wished Gale was here to listen in on what they were saying and report back to Elsa.

[Stop acting like a child,] Elsa scolded herself. [Honeymaren is allowed to have a new friend.]

+0+0+0+0+

A few days passed, and each day Elsa found herself dragged into wedding preparations or some other task Anna needed to be done. They no longer ate together at the table, meaning sometimes Elsa would not see Honeymaren the entire day. When they did see each other, they promised each other that they would have another outing, but they had yet to keep that promise.

However, Elsa noticed that the servant was around Honeymaren more than Elsa was. Elsa would catch the servant going in and out of Honeymaren’s room, or Honeymaren speaking with her elsewhere. Whenever Elsa would try to approach them, they would hurry away or Anna would get in the way. At night, Honeymaren’s door would be locked and even when Elsa knocked, there would be no reply. She didn’t want to intrude on Honeymaren, especially after what Anna said about her being clingy. Elsa was more and more aware of how she acted around Honeymaren…and when she wasn’t.

After a long day of re-doing a group of invitations that had mysteriously gone missing, Elsa lied on her bed, restless. She should’ve been tired from all the repetitive work, but she wasn’t. Anna kept insisting she was though, so much so, in fact, that Elsa was convinced Anna had laced her tea with something and was impatient for Elsa to fall over.

She turned over on her side and sighed through her nose. Not only did her body and her mind feel restless, it felt like nature was restless too. It felt like the spirits were restless. Elsa had a hard time explaining her connection to the other spirits, but to her, sometimes it felt like she could hear the winds whisper, the waves chatter and roar, and the earth itself groan under the weight it carried. When everyone and everything was speaking to her like this, it always preceded something big happening. Whether it was a storm or some other kind of trouble, Elsa was the first to sense it.

After a moment, Elsa slipped out of bed and stepped quietly to her balcony doors to look out their glass panels. The sky was filled with stars; so many that they looked like a river in the sky. Elsa thought back to lying on the roof with Honeymaren and decided that Honeymaren should see this too. Elsa swallowed as she felt her heart race in her chest. Perhaps the reason she was feeling restless, and that the entire world felt restless, was because it was the perfect night to speak with Honeymaren about her feelings.

Elsa jumped away from the doors and put her hands over her now reddening face. She paced a few times back and forth across the floor, hands still covering her face.

 _You have to promise me not to run away from whatever you’re feeling,_ Anna’s voice echoed in her head.

Elsa began to breathe cold air as she stopped in the middle of the room, fingers digging into the skin on her face. “Don’t run away…don’t run away…”

Elsa thought back to strolling into town with Honeymaren hand-in-hand, and how much fun it always was to be with her. She thought to how pretty Honeymaren looked in the dress, even though the Northuldra girl didn’t believe it herself. How Honeymaren always laughed off Elsa’s weird family and their antics. She thought about how safe she felt when Honeymaren stepped forward to defend Elsa from what she perceived as threats. How Honeymaren’s hair and skin were so soft under her hands…

Elsa gasped at the last thought and violently shook her head. She paced a few more times, switching between gnawing on her fingernails and hugging herself, before she stomped one foot and marched to her door. Elsa blocked out all the thoughts in her head and forced her body to keep moving at a brisk pace towards Honeymaren’s room.

[You will go see her, ask her if she wants to see how beautiful the sky looks tonight, and figure it out from there. Just keep moving, no running away,] Elsa told herself.

When she got closer to Honeymaren’s room, she was surprised to see light streaming out of the open door and Honeymaren’s voice speaking to someone inside. At first, Elsa thought Ryder and Honeymaren were together in the room and having a conversation, but as she crept closer, she recognized the other voice as the servant who was always with Honeymaren. Elsa narrowed her eyes and listened as closely as she could while sneaking towards the room.

She peeked around the corner to see Honeymaren holding an old-looking book in one hand as the other gestured dramatically as she spoke to the servant Celine who sat at the desk. Celine watched Honeymaren with an embarrassed smile on her face, once in awhile pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. Elsa felt her entire body grow cold.

“…I whispered to the Wind who laughed, and carried away my feelings for you. I could not wait, so I left, in order to come to be closer to your heart,” Honeymaren recited to Celine.

Elsa gasped audibly, but quickly slapped a hand over her mouth and silently hurried back towards her room.

Inside her room, Honeymaren grinned at the now red-face Celine. “Well, it rhymes in our language. Iduna was a poet, who knew? Now we know where Anna got her romantic side from.”

Celine chuckled and continued to write down the translation. “This is rather embarrassing, I hate to admit…”

Honeymaren smirked and patted the journal. “Hey, you’re not the one reading ‘em.”

Elsa continued towards her room, tears stinging her eyes. That’s why everyone wanted to keep Elsa away from Honeymaren. She was too late: Honeymaren had fallen in love with someone else. Elsa wiped away a loose tear with the back of her wrist and released a shaky, cold breath…that she could see in mid-air.

Elsa stopped and was horrified to hear the crunching of ice underneath her feet. She looked down to see ice slowly forming on every inch of every surface in the hallway.

“No…no, no, no!” Elsa whimpered as she shut her eyes and stuck out her hands. “Stop…stop…please…”

Her efforts only made the ice form more quickly and thicker than before. She began to hyperventilate as the ice began its spread down the stairs and into the other hallways of the castle. Elsa looked out the window to see the town unaffected by her magic…for now. She needed to run, flee, go somewhere else before she brought on another permanent winter.

_No._

Things were different now. She was the Fifth Spirit; she had her powers under control; she could make this go away. Elsa shut her eyes again and gritted her teeth. She tried not to think about what she just saw, what she just heard, and instead tune into the spirits.

_You’re one of them now. You’re not human anymore. You don’t need anyone to love you._

_Lies. You’re lying to yourself again. You always lie. You always let people down. You always let yourself down. Now look what’s happened._

Elsa’s eyes snapped open and she looked around frantically. Nothing had changed, and now snow was piling ontop of the ice as well. She couldn’t run away anymore, but she needed help: she needed her sister. Elsa turned and fled down the hall towards Anna and Kristoff’s room.

+0+0+0+0+

Anna was tangled up in her sheets and her own limbs as she slept. Suddenly, ice began to crackle along her walls and on the floor from underneath the room door. She stirred and tugged her blankets closer to her body.

“Mmph, Kristoff…can you close the windows?” she muttered to the half-asleep Kristoff next to her. “It’s cold…”

He yawned and rolled over on his side. “Sure…”

Kristoff sat up and put his bare feet on the ground. He leaped back onto the bed with a yelp. “Yeow! That’s ice cold!”

Anna’s eyes popped open and she shot up. She reached over to a lantern on their nightstand and turned it on. The room lit up revealing half the room covered in a thick sheet of ice.

“Anna?! Kristoff?!” Elsa’s voice echoed from outside the hall.

Anna jumped out of bed and almost slipped to the ground, but regained her footing. “Elsa? Elsa?!”

She slid to the door with Kristoff and tried to open it. It was stuck, completely frozen solid. Anna tugged uselessly at the doorknob and then pounded at the door with her fist.

“Stay back,” Kristoff instructed as he skated backwards while squaring his broad shoulders.

Anna clumsily slid away back towards the bed and called out to Elsa, “We’re coming, Elsa!”

Kristoff rushed forward as best as he could and slammed against the door with one shoulder. The door barely budged, so Kristoff retreated backwards, rubbing his shoulder.

“Elsa! Can you melt any of this ice?! Or, maybe…break the door down with some magic?!” Kristoff called out to her.

“I’m sorry! I can’t do anything!” Elsa’s voice replied.

Kristoff groaned and squared his shoulders again. “I thought she had her magic under control…”

Anna looked scared. “She does…or at least…she did… But lately it seems like that’s not the case…”

Kristoff cracked his neck and then rushed forward again.

+0+0+0+0+

Honeymaren suddenly felt a chill and looked towards the windows of the room. They were shut, along with the balcony doors, but she could still feel a cold breeze coming from somewhere. Celine turned in her seat to comment about the sudden cold, when she shot out of her seat and shrieked. Honeymaren turned to where the servant was looking and saw ice pooling from under the door, slowly spreading across the floor. Before Honeymaren could react, the doors to the balcony and her windows began to violently rattle and shake.

Celine gathered her papers protectively and got onto the bed. “What is this?!”

Honeymaren peered out the windows to see leaves twirling in a circular pattern. She instantly recognized the source of the aggressive rattling: Gale.

Honeymaren rushed to the balcony doors and flung them open. Gale swept into the room, moving frantically from Honeymaren to Celine. Celine clutched the papers with one arm and held down her dress with the other as Gale slipped into her clothes and blew them out.

“Gale! Careful! Those papers are for Elsa!” Honeymaren told the Wind Spirit. She did a double-take when she realized the ice was slowly inching towards her feet. “…Speaking of which…is this Elsa’s---?”

She gasped as Gale hugged tightly at her body and blew her towards the door. Honeymaren stumbled and slipped along the ice, Gale surrounding her and guiding her quickly out the door.

“Miss Honeymaren?!” Celine gasped.

Honeymaren caught the doorframe and held on as Gale tried to pull her away. “Keep those papers safe! I have the journal with me!” She held up an animal skin bag attached to her Northuldra belt. But then, Gale won and Honeymaren was sent tumbling out into the hall. “Woah!”

Celine looked around the bed as the ice threatened to overtake it. “I-I’ll try!” She curled up into a ball, hugging the papers to her chest. “I don’t get paid enough to freeze to death…”

Honeymaren somersaulted until Gale released her and flew up over her head, swirling in place to wait for Honeymaren to follow. The Northuldra woman shakily stood up on her feet and sighed with relief.

“Oh, hi Honeymaren!” Olaf’s voice rang out from besides her.

Honeymaren jumped with surprise and turned to see Olaf happily waving at her with a shivering Ryder by his side. “Olaf! What happened?! Where’s Elsa?!”

Olaf smiled brightly and looked around at the hallway and everything within it coated with shimmering ice and snow. “Wow…! Is Elsa redecorating the palace for Anna’s wedding?! I like it!”

Ryder managed to speak through his chattering teeth, “W-we d-d-d-don’t kno-o-ow w-w-wh-what’s going o-o-on!”

Gale impatiently swept around the three, knocking Olaf’s head to the floor. Olaf beamed up at Gale as his body waved up to the Wind Spirit.

“Hi, Gale! You’re so silly…” Olaf giggled. He paused as Gale twirled in the air. “Oh! You want to take us to Elsa?”

Honeymaren and Ryder exchanged looks before Ryder placed Olaf’s head back onto his body.

“Okay, we’re following you,” Honeymaren told Gale.

Gale led them down the hallway and then turned the corner towards the hallway where Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff’s rooms were. When Honeymaren, Ryder, and Olaf dashed around the corner, they skidded to a halt at the sight of Mattias pulling himself up the frozen staircase with two swords, one in each hand. He panted and let Ryder and Honeymaren help him onto his feet.

Mattias turned to Honeymaren accusingly. “What did you do?!”

Honeymaren blinked and then shook her head. “What?”

“What did you do?!” Mattias demanded, his voice higher-pitched than before.

Ryder put up his finger and opened his mouth.

“What does that mean?!” Honeymaren demanded angrily.

Ryder sighed and put down his finger.

Mattias leaned close to Honeymaren as he supported himself with his swords. “It means: what…did…you---?!”

Ryder threw his hands into the air and stepped between the two. “Come on, guys! I thought you were friends now! More importantly……we’re going to freeze to death if we don’t follow Gale!”

Mattias looked around the hall with large, frightened eyes. “The ice is starting to spread down to the other floors and sections of the castle too. Soon, it’ll be outside as well.” He glowered down at Honeymaren. “This is your fault! Elsa had her powers completely under control until you came along with her to Arendelle! You just had to go and seduce Elsa to fall in love with you and ruin everything, didn’t you?!”

“Seduce?!” Honeymaren laughed. “I---!”

She stopped.

“…Wait…” Honeymaren said slowly. “She…she really…?”

Olaf beamed up at Honeymaren. “You didn’t know? Even I knew!”

Ryder looked frantically from Gale to the two and then threw back his head. “Elsa likes you back, okay?! You two are the only ones in the entire world who don’t know that you both like each other and belong with each other and should totally get together so CAN WE PLEASE FOLLOW GALE?!”

Honeymaren’s jaw drop as she stared at Ryder with a shocked expression on her face. Mattias raised an eyebrow at Ryder, looking just as surprised to hear Ryder raise his voice.

“Sorry, I get cranky when it’s cold…” Ryder sheepishly explained.

Mattias tossed away one sword to the ground. “Right, let’s go!”

Honeymaren shook her head and followed. When they entered the hallway where Elsa and Anna’s rooms were, they stumbled into a foot of snow and fell forward. Honeymaren pushed herself up on the thick snow and looked to see Elsa squatting in the far corner, her hands clutching her head. She opened her mouth to call out to her, but Gale was suddenly and violently blown backwards into them.

“Elsa!!!” Mattias yelled out to her as Gale’s wind blew across them and disappeared down the other end of the hallway.

Elsa didn’t turn to them. Instead she curled up tighter into herself. “S-stay back! I can’t control any of this! I’m sorry! I don’t know what is happening!”

Just as she said that, the doors to Anna and Kristoff’s room flew open with a loud crack and Kristoff landed in the middle of the hallway. He stumbled up and turned to Elsa.

“Elsa?!” he called out.

Anna dashed out of the room but stopped when Kristoff put up his hand at her. “Elsa!”

Elsa shook her head and yelled, “Stay away!”

As she yelled those words, a large, flat block of ice ripped out of the ground and flung itself towards Kristoff. Anna gasped and leaped into action, pushing Kristoff out of the way. The block careened towards Ryder, Olaf, Mattias, and Honeymaren who struggled through the snow to get out of its path. The block missed everyone, zoomed past them, and shattered into the far wall at the other end of the hall.

“Elsa! You need to relax! Talk to us!” Anna pleaded. “We can help!”

Elsa shook her head as tears poured down her cheeks. “No…you can’t help…I see that now! I messed-up Anna! There’s nothing anyone can do…”

Mattias, now tangled up with Ryder and Olaf on one side of the wall, looked at Honeymaren who stood flat against the opposite wall. “Well, what are you waiting for?! Go to her!” His voice went high-pitched again. “I don’t want to freeze to death! I want to get married too you know!”

Honeymaren nodded dumbly and began to make her way through the snow towards Anna and Kristoff. Elsa’s powers never scared her, but right now, they were pretty…completely terrifying. But, Elsa wasn’t doing this on purpose and she was in obvious distress and desperately needed help.

As Honeymaren got to Anna and Kristoff, Anna turned to her happily. “Oh, Honeymaren! Thank---!”

Elsa suddenly stood up, eyes wide and full of pain. “Honeymaren…”

Honeymaren carefully made her way to Elsa, eyes trained on Elsa’s. “I’m here, Elsa. It’s going to be okay.”

Tears streamed down Elsa’s cheeks and she quickly wiped them away as she cowered away from Honeymaren outreached hand. “No…I can’t…”

Honeymaren’s legs shook as she made her way through the snow, closer to Elsa. “Ssh…” When Elsa took another step back, Honeymaren stopped and then sat down on top of the snow. “Let’s sit down together.”

Elsa trembled and looked down at Honeymaren. She looked at Anna and Kristoff who began to slowly approach Honeymaren to sit down by her side.

“Come on, Sis,” Anna urged.

Elsa stared into Honeymaren’s gentle but strong golden eyes. The pain of knowing those eyes only looked to her as a friend was more physical than before.

“What happened, Elsa?” Anna asked in a quiet, calming voice. “Please, say something.”

Elsa’s eyes stung with more tears as she covered her mouth with her hands and stared down at Honeymaren. She shook, desperate for anything to calm herself down, and began to whisper to herself, “Conceal, don’t feel…”

She stopped. No. Not again. She had nothing to lose now anyway…she already lost Honeymaren.

Elsa bawled her fists at her side as her face flushed a dark red on her pale white skin. “What happened, Anna, is that I’m so stupid!”

Anna’s jaw dropped in unison with Kristoff’s. “Wait, what?”

“Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” Elsa raged at herself, a mini column of ice breaking up out of the ground each time she repeated the word.

She turned to the wide-eyed Honeymaren and the slacked-jawed couple.

“I thought leaving Arendelle and living with the Spirits would help change me…but I’m just the same stupid, scared girl except with all of this now even stronger than before!” Elsa shouted, motioning to the completely iced-over hall by throwing up her hands.

Mattias blinked several times and shook his head. Beside him, there was a crunching. He turned and looked to see Ryder eating from a bowl of nuts. Ryder noticed Mattias’ “really” stare and shrugged.

Olaf was fixated on the scene and didn’t make a move. “Here comes the best part…!”

Mattias shook his head in disbelief again, wondering how he ended up with such odd friends.

“Elsa, no…you’ve changed! For the better…I mean…” Anna insisted. “Not for the worse, or worse-er than you thought you were or---“

Kristoff put his finger on her lips. “Thank you, Anna, we got it.”

Elsa shook her head and sighed, “No…I really haven’t… What am I even doing? You were right, Honeymaren: living in the Forest is difficult for someone like me, but…” She looked tearfully at Honeymaren. “…I knew I would be able to do it because I had you.”

Suddenly, it clicked for Honeymaren. Mattias was right: this was her fault. Honeymaren implied she didn’t belong in the Forest: it was similar to how Elsa’s parents locked Elsa way because she didn’t belong in normal society, but worse, because moving to the Forest was Elsa’s idea and Honeymaren told her she was wrong. And even worse than that: Honeymaren's words "you belong up here" were the ones that seemed to influence Elsa to stay. Honeymaren winced at how terrible that all sounded.

“Elsa…” Honeymaren began, frustrated at herself for saying those words to Elsa.

Elsa cut off Honeymaren with a strong shake of her head and a commanding voice, “No, let me finish, please. I must.”

Anna’s eyes lit up when Elsa’s cheeks began to grow red again. She grabbed Kristoff’s shoulder and shook it violently with a huge, open-mouthed smile on her face.

Elsa took in several deep, quiet breaths with her eyes closed, and then her mouth twisted, trying to lock away the tears that were still in her eyes. “I made the same mistake as I’ve done before…I pushed you away…into someone else’s arms…”

Honeymaren blinked, surprised.

Anna turned to Honeymaren and gasped loudly, “WHAT?! WHOSE ARMS?!”

Honeymaren put up her hands to shield herself as Kristoff held Anna back. “I dunno!"

"Who is it, Honeymaren?!" Anna demanded, swinging her fists and kicking her legs towards Honeymaren.

Honeymaren shook her head. "There's nobody else: I love Elsa!”

Suddenly, the ice and snow melted at once, pouring over from the ceiling and pooling on the floors of the hallway. Water poured down the staircases like waterfalls, and meanwhile, in Honeymaren’s room, Celine shrieked as the water poured down onto her and the translated papers.

Celine wiped her bangs from her eyes and looked down at the soaked, tearing pages with ink slowly smearing across them. “…Well, I suppose I can go back to farming when Queen Anna fires me…”

Everything soaked and filled with water. Honeymaren, Anna, and Kristoff were all soaked to the bone, frozen in place with Anna being held back by Kristoff and Honeymaren with her hands infront of her. Honeymaren spat out some water from her mouth and then lifted her soaked hat that had fallen over her eyes. Elsa stood close to her; pale face flushed a pretty pink and eyes wide with unfiltered astonishment.

“You…you love me? Like…love love or…familial love?” Elsa asked slowly.

Honeymaren grinned bashfully and rubbed her soaked head. “Well, we’re not exactly family so…yeah... I love you, Elsa. In the love love kind of way.”

Elsa shook her head, hand bawled up by her mouth. “But…but you…and Celine…I heard you reciting a love poem to her…” She looked at Honeymaren desperately. “Please, please…don’t lie to me. It's too painful. I know something has been happening between you two…that’s why everyone has been trying to keep me away from you.”

Honeymaren sucked in a breath, “Ooo…you saw that, huh?” Elsa nodded and Anna looked like she was about to murder Honeymaren. “…Well, did you like it?”

Elsa pouted, tears welling in her eyes again. “I…would’ve liked you to have recited it to me…”

Honeymaren chuckled with an embarrassed grin, “I don’t think you would, Elsa…”

Anna shot up, almost falling over into the water with her sudden burst of energy. “Why not?!”

Honeymaren grinned up at Anna. “Because your mom wrote it to about your dad.”

Elsa’s mouth dropped open. “…Mother?”

Anna groaned while she knocked her fist lightly and repeatedly against her own forehead. “The journal…of course…”

Honeymaren smirked at Anna and reached for the bag hanging off her belt. “Thankfully, this bag is waterproof…”

Elsa looked around at the mess. “…Oh dear…” She looked towards the other end of the hall. “Gale?”

Gale happily swept through the hall and wrapped around Elsa, making Elsa’s hair stand up with Gale’s breeze.

“Please dry everything off the best you can,” Elsa giggled.

Gale seemed to overtake the entire hallway and soon, everything and everyone was dry. Elsa helped by using her powers to disintegrate the last bits of ice and snow into the air.

“Thank you,” Elsa thanked Gale.

The far window blew open and Gale was gone.

Honeymaren smiled after the Spirit and then turned back to Elsa while opening her bag. “Anna asked me to translate this journal I found for you. It was your Mother’s, written before she gave birth to you.”

Elsa carefully reached out and accepted the journal into her hands. She opened it and gently went through its pages.

“I can’t write in your language, so Anna sent Celine to help me write it down so Anna could give it to you as a present,” Honeymaren explained. She looked sheepish. “…Sorry, I know we’ve all been acting crazy and suspicious lately, but we knew you wanted to go home and…”

Honeymaren stopped and froze in place as Elsa wrapped herself around Honeymaren’s stiff body. Elsa nuzzled her head against Honeymaren’s temple and sniffed, tears falling from eyes again, but this time, happy ones.

“Thank you… I’m so sorry… I should’ve…I knew you wouldn’t…I’m---“ Elsa whimpered.

Honeymaren pushed Elsa away gently to look into her eyes. “It’s okay...really.” She grinned. “I’m just happy that you’re happy…aaand we’re not ice cubes right now.”

Elsa choked out a laugh and smiled as she brushed away her tears. “Me too.”

She turned to Anna and spread open her arms. Anna beamed and instantly launched herself into her sister’s arms. Kristoff got up and put his hand on Honeymaren’s shoulder and gave it a single, strong, playful shake. Honeymaren smiled up at him and patted his hand as the two watched the sisters embrace.

Anna stepped back and hopped in place. “Now, you were interrupted, Elsa! Tell Honeymaren how you feel back! Like you were planning, I hope!”

Elsa blushed again and played with her fingers. “O-oh…I was…I um…I was going to say…uh…”

Anna whirled around to Honeymaren impatiently. “Elsa has loved you for a long time! Well, not a really long time, because you’ve known each other for what? A few months? But whatever, true love works in mysterious ways!”

Elsa’s head sunk down between her shoulders. “Y-yes… I---“

Anna interrupted. “And she always, always, always talks about you when she comes over! About how nice you are to her, how brave you are, and how strong you are!” She took one of Honeymaren’s arms and began to squeeze it from beneath her long sleeved Northuldra outfit. “Apparently you got really nice arms…”

Elsa snapped her head up, eyes wide. “Anna, please!”

Kristoff picked Anna up from beneath her arms and hoisted her away from the two. “Okay, Anna, thank you once again…”

“But I’m not done telling Honeymaren how much Elsa likes her!” Anna whined.

Elsa sighed at Anna and then cleared her throat. Honeymaren was smirking at her, looking very pleased.

Elsa smirked back. “Don’t let all that get to your head now…”

“You love me and my arms,” Honeymaren teased.

Elsa looked down with a small smile. “Yes, I do…and…it feels really…freeing…to say it. I don’t want to conceal this feeling anymore. I want to embrace it…with you.”

Elsa held her Mother’s journal in one hand and shyly reached out with the other. Honeymaren took it and gently lifted it to her lips to kiss the back of it. Elsa blushed harder than before and smiled shyly but happily.

 **“AAAAHHHHHH!!!”** Anna screamed happily, making Elsa and Honeymaren jump and Kristoff face palm.

Ryder shook his head with a lopsided grin as he held his bowl of water and nuts. “…Well…this is pretty much how I expected this to happen…”

He turned to Mattias and blinked with surprise. Mattias was weeping at the scene, a handkerchief in his hand. “I’m so happy!!!”

Olaf hugged him, also sniffling, and let Mattias lean into his body. “Me too! I’m always happy! But this has made me…even happier!!!”

Ryder laughed and turned back to his sister and Elsa with a grin. “I’m just glad it’s finally out there. Maybe we’ll need to plan a Northuldra wedding next time.”

He turned to see Celine trudging down the hallway towards them. She passed them without greeting, clutching pieces of now half-dried papers to her body. Celine made her way to Elsa and the others down the hall and stopped by them with a heavy sigh.

“Your Majesty…Miss Honeymaren… I am so sorry…” Celine said with her head hung.

Anna looked down at the papers and gasped, “Oh no, are those…?”

Celine nodded solemnly and kept her eyes down. “I tried to protect them, but the ice suddenly turned to a tidal wave of water inside the room and…”

Honeymaren put her hand on the woman’s arm. “It’s okay! It’s not your fault. Right Anna?”

Anna nodded. “Of course not. I feel horrible; all your hard work is ruined…”

Elsa looked regretful. “I apologize as well…I let my powers spin out of control.”

Celine shook her head at Elsa. “It’s okay, Miss Elsa. You couldn’t help it. I just regret that you will not have a translation of your mother’s text in time now.”

Elsa bit her lip and looked down at the ruined papers in Celine’s arms. She took the journal into both of her hands and smiled up at everyone.

“I don’t need it. Honeymaren can read it to me,” Elsa said. She looked hopefully at Honeymaren. “I would love it if you could…when you’re not too busy, of course…”

Honeymaren smiled and nodded at Elsa. “But, we might get interrupted by Yelana a lot. She can smell fun, and doesn’t like fun being had.”

Elsa smiled mischievously. “I suppose we could stay a little bit longer in Arendelle then.”

Ryder raced over excitedly. “Really?! Oh, thank you, Elsa!”

Elsa giggled as Ryder happily punched Honeymaren who grinned back at him. “But, not for too long. Yelana was nice enough to let us go, we shouldn’t take advantage of that kindness.”

Honeymaren rolled her eyes with a playful scoff. “Yeah, she’ll never let us go anywhere again.”

Ryder nodded. “That’s for sure.”

Elsa smiled a pleased smile and took Honeymaren’s hand. “It’s a nice night out tonight. Do you want to go on the roof and read me the beginning entries?”

Honeymaren smiled back. “Yes, I would like that.”

Celine smiled at the two women. “Honeymaren is a very dramatic reader, Miss Elsa. I’m sure it will be fun to listen to her.”

Anna bit her lip and looked down. “Yeah…and since we won’t have a written translation…I would like to listen too…if that’s okay?”

Elsa looked at Honeymaren for confirmation. Honeymaren nodded with a smile.

Elsa turned to everyone and motioned with her hands. “You’re all invited to a very special reading tonight, right now, on the Castle roof. Entrance way will be on my balcony, with a little help from my ice magic. No wall climbing will be needed.”

Ryder ribbed Honeymaren with a wink. “I wonder who that was directed towards?”

Honeymaren playfully pushed him away with a grin.

Anna jumped into the air and clapped her hands. “Yay! Kristoff and I have to get dressed though so we’ll call up to you when we’re on your balcony! Come on, Kristoff, hurry!”

Anna raced back into her room leaving Kristoff to yawn and massage the back of his neck. He turned and slowly walked after his wife. “Meet you guys in a few.”

Ryder, Mattias and Olaf headed towards Elsa’s room. Mattias wept happily at Elsa and Honeymaren as he passed by them. He stopped, turned, and went back to them to give them a hug. Elsa grinned weakly and patted him on the back until he let go. Once Mattias and Ryder disappeared into Elsa’s room, Olaf walked up to Elsa and Honeymaren, looking up at them with a smile. He opened his arms and hugged Elsa’s legs, and then hugged Honeymaren’s. The two women smiled down at him and Elsa gently pushed him towards her room. Olaf went inside her room, leaving the two women alone together.

Elsa bit her lip and looked down. She held the journal in her hands and then looked up at Honeymaren. “Are you sure you want to?”

Honeymaren nodded. “I would do anything for you, Elsa. And…you know what?” Elsa cocked her head with a questioning look on her face. “…Your Mother was a pretty amazing woman.”

Elsa beamed and inhaled through her nose, chest swelling and eyes shimmering happily. Honeymaren smiled back and reached out her hand. Elsa accepted it and the two went hand-in-hand into Elsa’s room.

Suddenly, from inside Anna’s room, Anna’s voice boomed. “WAIT, THEY DIDN’T EVEN KISS!”

Kristoff’s voice sighed, “Anna…some people want to take things slow, relax.”

“BUT THEY NEED TO KISS! NO WAIT, THEY SHOULD, BUT THEY SHOULDN’T! NOT WITHOUT ME SEEING! ELSA! HONEYMAREN! DON’T KISS YET! ARE THEY KISSING? WAIT, DON’T TELL ME, I DON’T WANT TO KNOOOW!”


	8. Chapter 8

After everyone else had gone asleep, Elsa was still wide awake. She was on her bed, lying on her stomach, as she carefully flipped through her mother’s journal. It was old, the cover worn and the pages had gone soft and yellow-ish in color. Anna told Elsa she found it hidden away in a compartment by the bed which, Elsa presumed, didn’t protect it from the elements. Still, it was in good enough condition to read and carry with her. Perhaps if she had the binding re-done, she wouldn’t have to be as careful as she had to be now.

Elsa bit her lip and turned to Honeymaren who lied on her back on the other side of the bed, eyes closed but awake. Elsa and Honeymaren didn’t even have time to talk alone because everyone wanted to hear Honeymaren read from the journal, and then after that, the two just silently agreed to have another sleepover in Elsa’s room.

Elsa dragged herself closer to Honeymaren on her elbows. “Honeymaren?”

Honeymaren opened her eyes and looked at Elsa with a small smirk. “…Yeees?”

Elsa couldn’t help but smile at the playfulness in Honeymaren’s voice. “I-I was just thinking…do you want to come with me tomorrow to the library? There’s someone there who could hopefully fix my mother’s journal to make it less…fragile.”

Honeymaren glanced at the journal seated on a pillow. “That’s a probably a good idea considering what it’s been through. Sure, I’ll go.”

Elsa smiled happily down at Honeymaren. “Thank you.”

Honeymaren nodded and looked up at Elsa who was now hovering close to her. Her fingers and lips itched to grab Elsa’s head and pull her down for a kiss, but she knew she needed to give Elsa time and space. The poor woman always subconsciously flinched whenever she was touched, and stiffened when someone hugged her without permission, even with Anna. She definitely did not want to scare Elsa away…or make her so emotional that she froze the entire Castle again…

Elsa settled down close to Honeymaren, but not close enough that they were touching. She looked into Honeymaren’s eyes and after a few moments, Honeymaren rolled her head to look towards the ceiling. Elsa pushed herself up again and reached down to retrieve the blanket that was neatly folded at the end of the bed.

“I suppose we should go to sleep now,” Elsa said reluctantly.

“I suppose,” Honeymaren agreed.

Elsa tugged the blanket over Honeymaren and tucked her in. Honeymaren grinned at her as she did, eyes twinkling.

“Thanks, mom,” Honeymaren teased.

Elsa looked surprised and then embarrassed. “O-oh, sorry, I just thought…isn’t…that what couples do?”

Honeymaren laughed, “I was just teasing. You can tuck me in anytime.”

Elsa smirked at her and settled under her portion of the blanket. She slid close to Honeymaren and looked down at Honeymaren’s body. Elsa carefully snaked her hands underneath the blanket and tentatively touched Honeymaren’s waist. She quickly pulled her hands away and looked up at Honeymaren’s face. Honeymaren watched patiently and gave Elsa an encouraging nod.

Elsa blushed and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ears. “I’m…I’m sorry, I’m not use to… I mean… Would it be okay to…hold you?”

“It would be very okay,” Honeymaren said with a chuckle and a grin.

Elsa smiled and rolled her eyes at Honeymaren’s grin. She settled back down and slowly wrapped her arms around Honeymaren, pushing her face into the other woman’s shoulder in an attempt to mask her blush. Elsa held still as Honeymaren’s arm reached out and pillowed her head.

“Is this okay?” Honeymaren asked.

Elsa curled into Honeymaren’s body, eyes growing heavy. “Very okay.”

+0+0+0+0+

Elsa slowly opened her eyes and stretched her legs. She slowly turned her head on Honeymaren’s shoulder with a happy smile. Honeymaren was still asleep, arm stretched out underneath Elsa’s head. Elsa sighed through her nose and snuggled back into Honeymaren. Thankfully, the Northuldra woman wasn’t like Anna who would often unconsciously kick Elsa off the bed when they fell asleep together some nights, or drooled so much that multiple pillows were wet in the morning. Elsa shivered at the memory and then lied still for a few moments, listening to Honeymaren’s deep breathing.

It didn’t feel real yet, being together with Honeymaren. Part of Elsa’s brain was convinced she didn’t deserve this and she should just build another Ice Palace and live the rest of her days in isolation. The other part of her brain was like a child who dreamed of all the possible candies they could try at the candy store, but when they got there, they were completely overwhelmed and froze at all the possibilities. That part of her brain was the part that dreamed of all the different scenarios Elsa would play out if they ever became a couple, but now that they were, she had no idea what to do.

Elsa turned to see the journal still resting on the pillow. Luckily she didn’t ruin it while sleeping. She glanced at Honeymaren and then as slowly and quietly as she could, slid back to the other side of the bed to retrieve it. Elsa cracked open the journal and ran her fingers along one of the pages.

“Do you want me to read you some more?” Honeymaren sleepily asked her.

Elsa jumped a little and then turned to Honeymaren, surprised that the woman was awake. “No, thank you. With my luck, it will completely fall apart before I can get it fixed.”

Honeymaren sat up and stretched her arms over her head with a small grunt, bones crackling underneath her skin. “Well then, let’s get to that library place and get it fixed up.”

Elsa nodded and slid off the bed. She glanced back at Honeymaren who rotated her shoulders and then moved her head side-to-side to crack her neck. Elsa’s body burned, and her mind urged her to do something. Anything. _Quit staring and do something!_

Honeymaren blinked at Elsa’s stare. “…What? Is there something on my face?”

She quickly checked her mouth and chin in case she had leftover drool running down them.

Elsa giggled, “No, sorry. I’m just…happy.”

Honeymaren looked up at Elsa, touched. “Me too.” She hopped out of bed and made a motion with her hand that she used to get the reindeer to move where she wanted. “Come on, you won’t be happy if the library closes again.”

“No, I won’t,” Elsa agreed and hurried to her vanity.

+0+0+0+0+

Honeymaren walked with Elsa down the streets of Arendelle. She had thought they had slept until the afternoon with all the excitement last night, but they both somehow managed to be awake before anyone in the Castle and, judging by the empty streets, before anyone in Arendelle was.

“It’s nice and quiet,” Honeymaren observed. “I didn’t think Arendelle knew how to be still.”

Elsa smiled and looked up the street. A small café was up ahead, and just as they approached, the front door swung open. A woman dressed in an apron stepped out and turned the ‘Closed’ sign to ‘Open.’ Outside there were tables and chairs setup, causing Elsa to get an idea.

“It’s still early; the library isn’t open yet… Let’s sit down and have breakfast,” Elsa said, motioning to the café tables.

Honeymaren nodded and settled down at a table while Elsa went inside the café to order. She watched Elsa through the front window while propping her elbow on the table, cheek in her hand. It still felt unreal, Elsa and her together. Thinking back, she only knew one other homosexual couple in the tribe. Most of their people felt responsible to continue their family lines, and to keep the population of their tribe steady, so it was unusual, but accepted. She and Elsa were definitely unusual people, in more ways than one.

Elsa returned and sat down across from Honeymaren. She scooted the chair closer to the table and then looked at Honeymaren’s happy expression. Elsa put her elbows on the table and intertwined her fingers to create a place for her chin to rest on. Then, Elsa’s etiquette training kicked in and she quickly removed her arms from the table and placed her hands in her lap while clearing her throat.

“Sorry,” Elsa apologized.

Honeymaren looked confused. “Sorry for what?”

Elsa fiddled with her dress underneath the table. “Oh, um, nothing. Sorry, it’s just my etiquette training…you know…no arms or hands on the table…which utensil to use when…things like that.”

Honeymaren’s eyebrows knitted together, and then she asked with a laugh of disbelief, “Wait, there are actual rules how to eat in Arendelle?”

Elsa felt her face go on fire as she looked down at her lap. It sounded ridiculous coming from Honeymaren, as most things in Arendelle and the royal family did. “Well---for the upper class, at least…we’re taught as children…and they’re not rules per say but---“ She shook her head with a laugh. “You know what, nevermind, it’s boring and a little bit ridiculous.”

Honeymaren’s hand reached across the table and turned so her palm faced up. Elsa looked down at the hand and then up at Honeymaren’s gentle expression, feeling a lump rise in her throat.

“Tell me,” Honeymaren urged quietly.

Elsa looked unsure as she laid her hand ontop of Honeymaren’s. “You don’t understand, it’s really boring.”

“Okay, tell me about how you were really bored while some stuffy teacher taught you how to eat like a Queen,” Honeymaren replied with a grin. “If I had your magic, I would’ve created my own fork and asked which one it was. Then, I’d watch the teacher’s head explode.”

Elsa laughed, “I wish I had thought of that.” She shifted in her seat and looked away. “You know, spending time together here, made me realize how little we know of each other’s pasts. I didn’t even know you had that scar!”

Honeymaren winked at Elsa. “I’m surprised you didn’t notice it while peeking at me bathing.”

Elsa shot up in her seat, eyes wide and guilty-looking. “I-I wasn’t peeking at you bathing! I was just---”

A soft clearing of the throat came besides her and a hand set down a teacup on the table. Elsa jumped and quickly turned her head to see a smirking café worker with their breakfast and tea on a tray. Honeymaren hide her mouth with her hand to hide the enormous grin on her face. Elsa stared down at the table, her entire face and neck red, and a mortified expression twisted on her face. She didn’t dare look up at either of the two women.

“Thank you,” she muttered quietly once the table was set with their food and drinks.

Honeymaren thanked the waitress too and waited until the woman went back inside the café to say, “Oops, I definitely did not see her there.”

Elsa looked up, her face still red with embarrassment, but a playful smirk on her face. “Oh, you most definitely did. And I shall have my revenge.”

Honeymaren lifted her teacup with a grin and then put it to her lips. Elsa flicked one of her pointer fingers out to towards the cup and Honeymaren stopped in mid-sip, pulling her head back quickly: Elsa had frozen her tea.

“Oh, that’s just low,” Honeymaren laughed as she turned over the cup and shook it.

Elsa giggled and picked up her own cup to take a sip out of it. “That was your own doing.”

Honeymaren shook the cup more and held out her other hand palm-up beneath it. The tea fell out into her palm in the form of an ice cube shaped like the cup.

“Don’t look so smug, I can work with this,” Honeymaren said with a grin.

Honeymaren brought the ice cube up to her mouth and licked across it with her tongue. Elsa’s eyes widened and this time, she froze her own tea, her cup, her hand, and her wrist.

Honeymaren gasped as Elsa continued to stare wide-eyed and with her lips parted. “Elsa, your arm!”

Elsa shook her head to jolt her brain back out from the gutter. Then she looked down at her frozen cup and arm, quickly unfroze them, and looked up at Honeymaren with a humiliated grin and chuckle. Elsa shot up, knocking her knees against the table in the process.

“Ow!” Elsa yelped and held her knees.

Honeymaren reached out to her. “Are you okay?”

Elsa almost fell over her seat as she retreated from the table. “I-I’ll get you some more tea!” Elsa said breathlessly as she rushed back into the café.

Honeymaren blinked after Elsa, confused, before she shrugged and popped the ice cube into her mouth. “It tastes better this way though…”

+0+0+0+0+

Normally, when Elsa held Honeymaren’s hand, she felt happy and calm. But now, she was very aware of the heat exchanged between them.

She began to worry if her palm was too sweaty; and then she began to worry if Honeymaren could feel how wet it was; and then she began to worry if Honeymaren felt disgusted; and then she worried about Honeymaren being disgusted at how terrible Elsa of a girlfriend Elsa was being getting so silly about a handhold; and then she worried about what would happen when they kissed; and then she worried---

[Stop. Breathe.] Elsa’s inner voice interrupted the endless train of thoughts.

Elsa breathed out shakily and then looked up at the library. It was a large, two storied, white building with large glass windows revealing the people already browsing inside.

Elsa turned back to Honeymaren, feeling her anxiety fade away, letting excitement build up in its place. “Ready to go inside?” When Honeymaren nodded, Elsa led her into the building, lowering her voice into a whisper. “Inside the public libraries, everyone is expected to keep your voice down to a whisper.”

“Got it,” Honeymaren whispered back.

Once they passed through the entranceway, Elsa opened the two, wooden inner doors that led into the library. She stepped aside to let Honeymaren take in one of Elsa’s favorite sights in the world: endless shelves of books all waiting to be read. Honeymaren’s eyes grew large as she stepped in, lifting her head to look up into the second floor.

“Wow, there are so many in here,” Honeymaren whispered.

Elsa nodded happily and took her hand. She led Honeymaren towards the front desk where an old man stood. His expression brightened when he saw Elsa and he waved. Elsa waved back, released Honeymaren’s hand, and stepped up to the front desk to speak with him. However, Honeymaren found herself completely distracted as she gazed up the towering stacks of books everywhere she looked. She couldn’t read them, of course, and it made her a little sad: so much knowledge, so many stories, and she couldn’t understand any of it.

“Nice to meet you!” the old man called out to Honeymaren.

Honeymaren jumped and turned to see Elsa smirking at her with the old librarian. “O-oh, sorry. I’m Honeymaren---”

“He knows,” Elsa teased with a giggle. “You were completely lost in your own head just now.”

The old librarian laughed, and Honeymaren noticed he was holding the journal in his hands. “That’s okay! I imagine that you’ve never seen any books before you came to Arendelle?”

Honeymaren shook her head. “My people have our history and stories memorized, or at least, most of them do.”

The old man nodded as he turned and slowly sauntered over to a table where the other librarians were. He placed the journal down and carefully opened it to inspect the binding. “It would be good to write everything down onto papers and bind them into books. Recently, we’ve had a lot of people coming in asking for books about the Northuldra…but…”

Elsa looked down guiltily. “…Father banned everything about the Northuldra.”

The old man nodded solemnly as he inspected the journal. “Yes, everything was destroyed, except for this.” He hummed as he wiggled one of the pages. “…Barely holding together, though…”

Elsa looked distressed as she watched him lightly tug at another very loose-looking page. Honeymaren put a hand on the small of Elsa’s back and lightly stroked it.

“Will you be able to fix it?” Honeymaren asked for Elsa.

The old librarian turned to them and nodded. “Yes, it’ll take some time, but I think I’ll be able to do it.”

Elsa let out the breath she was holding in a long burst. “That is good news…”

The old man grinned as he made his way back to the front desk. “Oh, by the way; the library is displaying some special artwork and writing you should go see.”

Elsa’s head tilted slightly to the side. “Oh? What are they?”

He grinned and winked once as a reply. A small group of librarians began to gather curiously around the journal, so he turned and shuffled over to them. Elsa blinked and looked at Honeymaren quizzically who just shrugged her shoulders.

The two women made their way to the front of the library and were greeted with three massive, glass display cases sitting on shelves of books. A banner hung over them with the words: Thank you for Saving Arendelle!

“Thank you for saving Arendelle…?” Elsa slowly read as her head pulled back slightly with a small frown on her face.

Honeymaren peered into one of the cases to see small pictures and drawings, most of them looked to be of Anna and Elsa. One drawing caught her eye in particular: a childish drawing of Elsa riding Nokk, hands outstretched and a massive light blue wall shaped like a snowflake blocking a tidal wave of water.

“This must have been when you saved Arendelle,” Honeymaren said, pointing at the drawing to get Elsa’s attention.

Elsa sighed and looked down at her feet. “But I didn’t save anyone…I was the one who caused the mess in the first place. I put Arendelle in danger.”

Honeymaren looked at Elsa with disbelief. “So…you created the voice in your head that was calling you?”

Elsa looked up at Honeymaren, eyes wide. “No, of course not.”

“Oh, then you knew you how to awaken the Spirits and ordered them to cause chaos in Arendelle?” Honeymaren asked, leaning towards Elsa.

Elsa turned her head to the side so she wouldn’t have to look at Honeymaren’s face. “…I didn’t even---I didn’t know---” Her face twisted. “…No, I did not.”

Honeymaren cocked her hip. “Okay, then that means you caused the flood waters?”

Elsa looked down again. “…That was Anna…so…no.” She looked back up again. “But I would have done the same thing!”

Honeymaren sighed and tilted her head backwards. “Elsa…”

“I am not a hero,” Elsa insisted, motioning to the drawings and the scribbled thank you letters. “I didn’t sacrifice anything like real heroes do.”

Honeymaren chuckled, “So warm beds, easily accessible food and drinks, seeing Anna and your friends and family every day, and all this fancy living don’t count, huh?”

Elsa’s mouth hung open for a moment as her brain seemed to shutdown from the shock of someone throwing its logic back into its face. She shook her head and looked at the drawing of her and Nokk. Honeymaren leaned down next to her to look at the drawing as well.

Honeymaren nudged Elsa’s shoulder with her own. “Just looking at this child’s drawing is giving me chills. I wish I could’ve seen it for myself.”

Elsa blushed and fiddled with a piece of her hair. “Oh, uh, it was nothing, really… Nokk did most of the work.”

Honeymaren raised an eyebrow at Elsa with a smirk. “Did Nokk suddenly learn ice powers or something?”

“No…it was…the water…and I…” Elsa stuttered. She looked over at Honeymaren’s amused face. “…I should learn how to take a compliment…”

Honeymaren laughed and looked back into the display cases. “You should, because you are going to get a lot from me during our relationship.”

Elsa laughed dryly, “I’m sorry. I must be a real joy to talk to: denying everything you tell me, making excuses…”

Honeymaren straightened again. “You are a joy to talk to, Elsa. All that other stuff is just your lack of faith in yourself.” She turned to Elsa and clasped her hands together at her waist. “Here, allow me to show you a trick.”

Elsa turned to Honeymaren with a small, bemused smile on her face. “Okay… What do I have to do?”

Honeymaren spread her arms at her sides. “Give me a compliment that I won’t believe.”

Elsa put her finger on her cheek and studied Honeymaren. “Hm…” Her eyes brightened and a mischievous smile spread across her face. “Oh! You look very beautiful in a dress.”

Honeymaren’s entire body let out an involuntary shiver as her eyes slammed shut, her lips curled and her eyebrows furrowed together. As Elsa desperately tried not to laugh, Honeymaren took in a long inhale through her nose and then let it out through her mouth.

Honeymaren finally opened her eyes. “Thank you. That is very nice of you to say.”

Elsa burst into giggles as she covered one hand with her mouth. “Is that your trick?”

Honeymaren shook the last of her chills out of her arms and then smirked at Elsa. “Yup. See? We’re not talking about it anymore, and you don’t have to try to convince the person otherwise. Just accept the compliment and move on.”

Elsa put her hand back down with a grin. “I will try to do that from now on.”

“Good,” Honeymaren said with a laugh. 

Elsa smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear as Honeymaren went back to looking into the display cases. Her eyes stared at the profile of Honeymaren’s beautiful face, and then roamed down the rest of her body. Elsa still couldn’t believe she was hers now……and that they were in the library acting like they were still friends. She wanted to do something a little more special; a little more romantic. Before she could think herself out of it, she took Honeymaren’s hand.

“Let’s go someplace where we can speak above a whisper,” Elsa suggested.

Honeymaren nodded and let Elsa lead her back out the doors. She twisted her head around to look at the library one last time before the doors shut behind her. Honeymaren blinked against the sun’s bright light and stood beside Elsa who was looking side to side, face lost in thought. The streets were now full of people and noise, making Honeymaren guess it was near midday. 

“Want to go feed the ducks?” Honeymaren suggested.

Elsa turned her head to Honeymaren with a suddenly shy smile. “I was thinking we can go somewhere more…private.”

Honeymaren’s heart leaped up into her throat and choked her voice. All she could manage was a strangled, “O-oh…okay.”

Elsa’s smile brightened and her eyelids lowered happily. Honeymaren tried to gulp, but her mouth was now bone dry. She barely registered Elsa dragging her off down the street and up into the fields. When Honeymaren came back to her senses, she realized they were now going up a grassy hill.

“Wow, when you said private, you meant private,” Honeymaren commented with a grin, trying not to sound too excited.

Elsa glanced back at Honeymaren and released her hand. “Watch your step, it gets tricky up here.”

Honeymaren was use to trekking the Forest, its cliffs, and its valleys, but she nodded. She kept a close eye on Elsa, wondering how she hadn’t tripped over her dress or twisted her ankle from the heels she was wearing. Honeymaren imagined Elsa sneaking away from her royal duties to be alone and couldn’t blame her.

“It’s just up here,” Elsa’s voice interrupted Honeymaren’s thoughts. Honeymaren looked up to see Elsa perched on a large, flat stone slightly above her. Elsa smiled happily and reached down to offer Honeymaren her hand. “Need a hand?”

Honeymaren was tempted to climb up herself to show-off, but decided against it and took Elsa’s hand. Elsa pulled Honeymaren’s arm and Honeymaren climbed up to where she sat.

Elsa released her arm and stepped back, letting Honeymaren explore the area. It was a large, flat stone set deep into a small cliff area, perfect for lying down and enjoying the sun. Anna had found it on one of her ventures out of the Castle. The sisters sometimes snuck out of the Castle to enjoy a picnic or to be able to talk privately. Even though Elsa had sworn to secrecy, she guessed Anna wouldn’t be angry that she brought Honeymaren up here – in fact, she would probably be overjoyed and ask far too many personal questions than Elsa would like to answer.

Honeymaren sat down towards the edge and looked out over Arendelle. She turned her head to Elsa with a grin. “You know, I’m beginning to think you like high places too.”

Elsa laughed lightly and sat down next to her. “Who said I didn’t?”

“Well, you don’t like climbing trees and you won’t let me climb the Castle walls,” Honeymaren teased.

Elsa reached over and pulled Honeymaren’s hat down over her eyes. “One, not enjoying tree climbing doesn’t mean I don’t like high places…I live in a Castle, after all; and two, I don’t want you to die.”

Honeymaren took her hat off her head and placed it in her lap. “Well, can’t argue with either of those, so…I’ll just enjoy the view.”

Elsa smiled victoriously and then turned back to look out over the horizon. She watched the people of Arendelle go about their day and for once didn’t feel the need to watch and worry over them. Elsa wasn’t the Queen, and Anna was doing a pretty good job in her place, considering Arendelle still stood. Movement and people caught her eye and she turned and saw the square with the statue of her parents.

She gulped when she remembered the night ice skating with Honeymaren and how romantic it was. Elsa mentally kicked herself: it was too perfect of a moment to tell Honeymaren how she felt and…kiss her… Another moment like that would never come again.

But maybe another moment didn’t need to come again. Elsa peeked over at Honeymaren. The Northuldra woman was enjoying the view with a small smile on her face, the loose strands of hair and her bangs gently blowing in the small breeze. They were together, after all, and kissing was just part of being toget---

Elsa felt her heart jump into her throat when Honeymaren turned to her. Honeymaren’s eyes were dark and hooded under her long eyelashes, one part of her mouth quirked up into a smile that sent shivers down Elsa’s spine.

“Pretty nice spot you girls found up here,” Honeymaren said.

Elsa gulped several times in an attempt to coat her dry throat. “Y-yes…”

She felt the temperature around her plummet and she had to close her eyes and take several breaths to control it.

“Are you okay?” Honeymaren asked, face now filled with concern.

Elsa whipped her head back to Honeymaren, lips pulled into her mouth as she nodded several times. “Yes! Fine! I’m perfectly fine! This is nice!” She cleared her throat when Honeymaren’s lips lifted back into a smirk. “…This is really nice, I mean, I’ve always enjoyed my time with you, but now…it feels really…nice.”

“That’s nice,” Honeymaren teased.

Elsa realized how many times she said “nice” and how bland it sounded. “No! I didn’t---I just---“ She sighed and hung her head. “…I’m sorry, I’m not good with expressing my feelings.”

Honeymaren laughed, “I was teasing you, Elsa, don’t worry – I know what you meant. And…yeah, this is really nice.” She grinned nervously at Elsa and rubbed her neck. “I’ve…never really felt like this for anybody. I mean, I knew I liked women, but I never liked- _liked_ a particular woman.” Elsa covered her mouth with her hand to hide the giggle that involuntarily escaped her mouth. “So I’m pretty clueless about relationships too.”

Elsa slowly lowered her hand, eyes widening. “Wait…” She shifted closer to Honeymaren, eyes twinkling as she looked at Honeymaren’s flushed face. “You’ve never…?” Honeymaren picked at the fur trimming on her hat and shyly shook her head. Elsa’s eyebrows rose. “But…you’re so beautiful and strong, surely someone…?”

Honeymaren laughed, “Nope, just the usual men who thought they could change my mind somehow. I swore once the Mist went away, I would travel the world and maybe find someone along the way.” She smirked at Elsa. “Who would’ve thought a girlfriend would have come to me?”

Elsa laughed too and sat back, lifting her head to look at the sky. “It was right out of one of Anna’s gross romantic fantasies…except the knight was a scared girl who was hearing voices in her head and the princess could beat men twice her size with a stick.”

Honeymaren raised an eyebrow at Elsa. “What is a knight?”

Elsa replied, “Mattias is sort-of a modern day knight.”

Honeymaren playfully shivered. “Ah, then I can see why that would gross you out.”

Elsa smirked and playfully swatted at Honeymaren’s shoulder. “Be nice…!”

Honeymaren’s smirk grew. “I’m being nice enough.” She turned back to the view of Arendelle and let out a small laugh in her throat. “But…Anna’s stories remind me of Yelana’s stories about the Spirits guiding two destined lovers to meet. I use to laugh at them – after all, I was sure the Spirits have better things to do than to push two lowly humans together.”

Elsa chuckled dryly, “You would be surprised.” She paused and then looked at Honeymaren hopefully. “Do you think…?”

Honeymaren glanced at Elsa with a small smile and then looked down at her hat resting in her lap. “Well…you are the Fifth Spirit so I imagine the Spirits do want to look after you…but who knows? Maybe they wanted you to end up with someone else in the tribe, but I was just pushy and you settled.”

Elsa giggled, “Trust me, I don’t settle.” She smiled brightly and lifted one shoulder. “You’re…the best thing that’s happened to me since, you know, Anna and I reunited. I love you.”

Honeymaren beamed. “You gave me the sky and everything that is beautiful in it. I love you too.”

Elsa smiled as Honeymaren flipped her hat into her hands and went to put it back on her head. Then she realized: this was another perfect moment.

Honeymaren tried to use her hat to steady her heart, but suddenly, Elsa reached out and stopped her from putting it back on. Honeymaren blinked, confused, until she looked at Elsa’s face. A blush was slowly starting to spread across Elsa’s cheeks, eyes looking at the ground, lip caught between her teeth. Honeymaren heard her heart pound in her chest: Elsa’s lip biting habit was too much for her body to handle sometimes.

Elsa finally looked at Honeymaren nervously. “Please, keep it off for now. I want to…”

Honeymaren gawked at Elsa. [Don’t get too excited. This is Elsa; she’s probably going to say ‘I want to brush your hair’ or something like that.]

Elsa’s surprisingly warm hands slowly reached over and took Honeymaren’s face into them. Honeymaren held as still as she possibly could, eyes searching Elsa’s blown pupils. Then the light blue eyes fell shut as Elsa tilted her head and inched it closer to Honeymaren’s face. Honeymaren stared at the parted lips and swallowed thickly. She hesitantly moved closer to Elsa’s face, but was met with Elsa suddenly opening her eyes and pulling away slightly.

“I…I’m not sure how to…” Elsa whispered, eyes half shut as they stared at Honeymaren’s lips.

“You’ll figure it out,” Honeymaren managed to joke with a trembling voice. “I’ll help.”

Elsa let out of small chuckle before she intertwined her fingers in Honeymaren’s hair and pulled her close.

“Don’t tease me,” Elsa breathed before their lips met.

It was a clumsy first meeting of lips, with accidental teeth bumping and strained necks, but to Elsa, it was the most amazing thing she ever felt. Her cheeks burned as they silently “figured it out,” like Honeymaren promised.

Elsa felt dizzy from the combination of the sweet smell of the shampoo Honeymaren was given to wash her hair, the heat between them, their bodies pressed tightly against each other, the sounds of their lips sliding together, and the little hums Honeymaren made in her throat when Elsa’s fingers massaged a particularly sensitive spot on the back of her head. Elsa pressed closer to Honeymaren and wrapped her arms around Honeymaren’s neck in an attempt to get even closer. They were bone-to-bone but not even then was Elsa’s body satisfied, as if it wanted to melt into Honeymaren: to become one with her.

Meanwhile, Honeymaren was pleasantly surprised at how passionate Elsa was being. She knew Elsa’s calm and sometimes cold exterior wasn’t who she really was. Once she had caught Elsa singing to the reindeer and was floored by the powerful voice that came out of her tiny body. It was like Elsa’s true self manifesting through her voice. But when Elsa grabbed her and pulled her so close that she could feel Elsa’s heart pounding even through her heavy leather clothing, she separated from Elsa’s lips. Honeymaren knew from the pounding between her legs and the ache in her hands to touch Elsa everywhere she can that she wouldn’t be able to control herself much longer.

Elsa’s eyes were glazed over, lips swollen, and cheeks red as she looked at Honeymaren’s darkened face. Honeymaren’s lips were parted as she panted heavily, eyes dark. Elsa went to pull Honeymaren back into another kiss, but Honeymaren placed her hands on Elsa’s chest to stop her.

Honeymaren wanted to say something articulate and cool, but all she could muster was a small laugh, “Woah…”

The spell over Elsa lifted and she giggled, “I think we figured it out.”

Honeymaren grinned. “That is an understatement.”

Elsa leaned in and placed her forehead on Honeymaren’s, closing her eyes with a content hum. Honeymaren smiled and looked at Elsa’s peaceful expression, soothingly running her hands up Elsa’s back.

Elsa’s eyes opened and she separated from Honeymaren. Honeymaren’s entire body ached as she clenched and unclenched her hands several times. Then, one of Elsa’s hands took hers. Honeymaren looked down where Elsa lied. The ex-Queen was on her side, head turned to look up at Honeymaren, eyes pleading for Honeymaren to join her. Honeymaren breathed out and lied down on her side, face to face with Elsa. She smiled when Elsa reached out and stroked her cheek.

“I would like to…kiss you again…please…” Elsa said in a voice that reminded Honeymaren of a small, shy child.

Honeymaren laughed softly as she wrapped her arms around Elsa’s body, “How polite.”

“Be quiet,” Elsa said with a devious smile.

This time when their lips met, Elsa actually groaned, sending electricity up and down Honeymaren’s spine. Elsa’s hands were in her braid, using her fingers to loosen it. When it was loose enough, Elsa sighed through her nose and combed her fingers through it. Honeymaren whimpered when Elsa’s lips blazed a path across her lips, down to her cheek, and then to her sensitive jawline.

“Elsa…” Honeymaren said shakily, trying to warn her that things might go too far if she kept doing that.

Elsa suddenly pulled away again and shook her head in an attempt to clear it. “I'm sorry! Maybe…maybe we should…”

Honeymaren looked into Elsa’s red face and nodded. Elsa smiled thankfully and hugged Honeymaren’s neck, nuzzling her head into her shoulder. Honeymaren closed her eyes and relaxed, feeling her body temperature begin to cool as the internal aching calmed.

Elsa let out a big, happy sigh. “We’re together…I feel like I’m in a dream.” She looked up at Honeymaren’s face. “I want to do everything right with this relationship. I don’t want to push you away, like I did with Anna, so if I ever do, please hit me.”

Honeymaren laughed, “It’s okay, Elsa: no relationships are perfect because people are, well, people. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself and we’ll be fine.”

Elsa nodded a few times and then settled back down. “Okay.”

Honeymaren’s mind suddenly focused on a single word she had said: right. Her eyes widened when she realized they were, in fact, not doing everything right. She shot up, causing Elsa to lean back with a surprised expression.

“Elsa! Where is Anna right now?” Honeymaren asked frantically.

Elsa looked confused. “Anna? Why?”

Honeymaren grabbed her hat and placed it haphazardly on her head. “Is she at the Castle?”

Elsa pushed herself up and began to look worried. “Yes, at this time, she is in the throne room hearing the public.” She reached for Honeymaren’s hand. “Why? Are you okay? You look---“

Elsa squeaked with surprise when Honeymaren easily picked her up. She found herself draped over Honeymaren’s shoulders as Honeymaren leaped off the rock and began sliding down the hill on her feet.

“Honey! What is going on?!” Elsa yelped as she wrapped her arms around one of Honeymaren’s shoulders.

+0+0+0+0+

Anna sat on her throne and tried to keep the pleasant smile on her face. Kristoff made no attempt to hide his annoyance as he stood next to her, leaned on her throne with one hand bawled up on his cheek. Below the stairs leading to the throne was a man and a woman…with a bunch of chickens. The chickens roamed in circles, clucking and bobbing their heads.

“…But Your Majesty! If I move the coop, then I would have to move the goats!” the man objected.

The woman sniffed at him, “So what?! Goats don’t start screaming five o’clock in the morning – it will be a nice change for my family and I!”

Anna felt her head throb. For the past half hour, she was trying to negotiate a deal between the farmer and his neighbor who complained the chickens were too close to her property and woke her family up in the morning. Nothing was working. Elsa was better at this: when she made a ruling that was that. However, Anna could not just shut down people like that – it was against her nature.

Ryder, who was in the audience of servants and soldiers, spoke up, “Why don’t you just ask the chickens to be quieter?”

“Ask the chickens?!” the woman laughed incredulously.

Ryder walked over to the chickens and squatted down to the largest one. “Hello, can you please stop speaking so loudly? It is disturbing the neighbors and causing conflict for the farmer you help.”

The chicken tilted its head and then clucked in a tiny, quiet voice. Anna’s jaw dropped as the other chickens lowered their voices as well.

“Thank you,” Ryder said with a respectful nod.

He stood up and looked at the shocked faces of everyone in the room.

He shrugged. “They like politeness and acknowledgment of the work they do.”

Anna stood up and waved her arms. “Thank you, Ryder! That settles it then! Let us know if this solves the problem!” She looked over at Mattias who stood on the other side of the throne. “Mattias, can you please escort these fine people and their chickens out?”

Mattias nodded and led the two and the chickens away towards the front entrance of the throne room. Just as he reached the doorway, Elsa’s voice echoed in the hall.

“Honeymaren, please! I can walk!”

Mattias jumped to the side just as Honeymaren rushed in and bent to the side to let Elsa drop off her shoulders. The farmer and his neighbor gawked at them. Elsa daintily brushed herself off and cleared her throat, ignoring the stares from just about everyone in the room. The farmer and the neighbor passed Honeymaren, staring at the woman as they did so.

“I like your chickens,” Honeymaren told them, pointing to the chickens following them.

The farmer and the neighbor stopped right outside the door and turned to continue to wonder what had just happened before Mattias quickly shut the doors.

Mattias leaned over to Honeymaren. “Uh…Honeymaren? What’s this about?”

Honeymaren ignored him and straightened her hat. She marched between the audience and down the red carpet until she reached the stairs leading up to the throne. Anna exchanged confused looks with Kristoff, and then looked at Elsa who helplessly shrugged. Ryder went to join his sister’s side, but she shook her head at him.

Honeymaren curtsied at Anna and then got down on one knee. “Queen Anna, in all the excitement that happened last night, I forgot to ask your permission to---“

“Yes!” Anna exclaimed excitedly.

Honeymaren blinked and then slowly continued, “---It is a custom of the Northuldra to ask---“

“You have it!” Anna interrupted giddily.

Mattias cleared his throat as he rejoined Anna’s side. “Uh, Your Majesty? Maybe part of the Northuldra custom is to actually ask?”

Kristoff agreed, “Let her speak, Anna.”

Anna slapped her hands over her mouth and sat back in her throne. “Oh! I apologize. Please, go on.” She paused, lips trembling as she tried to keep a straight face. “…But the answer is a yes…”

Kristoff rolled his eyes with a smile and covered Anna’s mouth. “Please go on, Miss Honeymaren.”

Elsa walked over to Ryder’s side. Ryder grinned down at her and elbowed her excitedly, causing Elsa to stumble a little.

Honeymaren continued, “…I would like your permission to be with your sister. She means everything to me, and I swear, she will be protected and happy as long as we’re together.”

“Yeessss!” Anna sang, hopping in her seat. She stopped when Kristoff and Mattias put their hands on her shoulders to still her. Anna straightened and put on her best dignified Queen voice. “…I mean. Yes, you have my permission.”

Honeymaren got up and grinned happily. “Phew, I feel better now. I almost forgot about our traditions. Yelana would’ve had my head!”

Elsa laughed and stepped infront of Honeymaren, her back to Anna. “Was that all? You scared me half to death when you suddenly said something wasn’t ‘right’ after we---“ She stopped herself when she actually felt Anna’s eyes blaze into her back. “---S-spoke.”

Honeymaren smirked and tapped Elsa’s lips. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Ryder slung his arms around Elsa’s and Honeymaren’s shoulders. “Congrats! I was going to say it this morning at breakfast, but you two were already gone.”

Elsa blushed. “We went to the library to see if our mother’s journal could be mended.”

Mattias clapped his hands onto Ryder’s back. “I am sorry, but it is time to clear the throne room, everyone.”

Honeymaren took Elsa’s hand. “That’s okay. Elsa and I have more…speaking to do.”

She grinned deviously and led Elsa away while the blushing Fifth Spirit swatted at her back.

Anna watched the two women leave the throne room with a happy sigh. The room filled with muttering and laughing as the audience began to clear out as well.

Kristoff crossed his arms. “They were kissing, weren’t they?”

Anna giggled, and then stopped, eyes wide. “They KISSED and I MISSED IT!!!”

Anna let out a high-pitched whine and covered her eyes, bending over her knees. Kristoff patted her back with a smile.

+0+0+0+0+

Days later, Elsa carefully slipped the now fixed journal into one of Honeymaren’s bags. Nokk kicked its leg impatiently as Ryder strapped the saddle on its magically iced-over body.

“Here you go,” Anna said, presenting Honeymaren with an envelope.

Honeymaren looked down at it happily. “So we’re still invited?”

Anna laughed, “Yes, bring everybody who wants to come. It’s going to be a great party!”

Elsa looked at Anna matter-of-factly, her hair loose and the ice dress she normally wore in the Forest back on her body. “You mean it will be an excellent opportunity for everyone to meet the Northuldra.”

Anna smiled innocently. “Oh, of course! That too.” She leaned over to Honeymaren and whispered, “But mostly, it’ll be a huge party.”

“That sounds like more fun than a formal meeting,” Honeymaren whispered back with a grin.

Elsa sighed and put her hands on her hips, “What am I going to do with you two?”

Honeymaren stepped past Elsa to help Ryder and Kristoff with the bags. “Hopefully with me, many things.”

Elsa blushed and pushed Honeymaren away, whispering in a high-pitched voice, “Honey!”

Anna giggled naughtily, “I can’t wait to see what a Northuldra wedding looks like…”

Elsa sighed, her blush still prominent on her face. “Anna, please…”

Anna laughed again and bear hugged Elsa. “It was so nice having my Big Sis here helping me with everything! Our wedding would have been completely doomed otherwise!”

Elsa shook her head. “No, that’s not true. You are an amazing Queen, an amazing person: you can do anything, Anna.”

Anna teared up and then hugged Elsa tighter. “Thank you…”

Olaf hugged their legs with a happy sigh, “Oh, I just love tender moments like these!”

Elsa and Anna separated and looked down at Olaf who still clung to Elsa’s legs.

“Can’t you stay, Elsa?” Olaf asked. “I will definitely need you during my mid-life crisis!”

Anna paled and looked over at Kristoff who looked equally as frightened. Elsa laughed and kneeled down to look Olaf in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Olaf, I can’t. You will be fine, trust me: you got through your…um…teenage years fine, I’m sure the mid-life crisis is overblown.”

Mattias walked by Elsa and Olaf with another bag in his arms. “It’s not...”

Elsa quickly added, “And, as usual, I will be back to visit as often as I can.”

Olaf nodded happily and skipped away to stand besides Anna. Once Nokk was loaded with the bags, the group began to say their goodbyes, hugging and wishing each other well.

Mattias approached Honeymaren and Ryder, carrying two swords in his hands. “These are for you, my students.”

Ryder excitedly snatched one sword out of Mattias’ hands and cheered, “Wow! Thanks Mattias!”

Honeymaren took hers much more calmly. “Does this mean I can bring weapons next time I come?”

Mattias crossed his arms with a teasing smile. “Just one.”

Honeymaren hung the sword on her belt. “It’s a start.”

Honeymaren climbed onto Nokk and then offered Elsa a hand. Elsa accepted it and climbed onto the front of Nokk as well.

“Did you see my sword?” Honeymaren asked Elsa with a smirk.

Elsa craned her head around, took Honeymaren’s cheek with one hand, and pulled her in to kiss her cheek. “It looks very dangerous, My Love.”

Honeymaren grinned widely. “Yeah, I know.” She looked over at Ryder who stood on the ground, staring up at Arendelle Castle quietly. Honeymaren looked at Elsa who looked concerned. “Hey Ryder?”

Ryder turned to Honeymaren. “Oh! Are we leaving?”

Kristoff looked up at Honeymaren who had a sad but understanding expression on her face. “Ryder, you know…you can stay in Arendelle if you want.”

Sven clopped over to Kristoff’s side and bobbed his head up and down. Ryder patted the reindeer’s head and looked up at Kristoff with a perplexed expression.

Honeymaren agreed, “Yeah. I’ll tell Yelana that you drowned or got kidnapped by those ‘pirate’ people if you want.”

Ryder laughed and shook his head. “Naw! I can’t stay – I’ll miss my reindeer too much!” He grinned up at Honeymaren. “Oh, you too, Sis, I guess.”

Honeymaren laughed, “Maybe I’ll just leave you here anyways, you jerk.”

Ryder laughed and leaped onto the back of Nokk.

Kristoff and Anna walked over to the side of Nokk, arm in arm. “If you change your mind, the Castle’s many doors are always open.”

Anna added, “Yes, we would love to have you.”

Ryder nodded and smiled. “Thanks, I appreciate that.”

Nokk snorted loudly and kicked its feet. Elsa steadied him with a laugh.

“Okay, I think we’re pushing our luck here,” Elsa said with a giggle. “Goodbye everyone!”

The others waved and shouted their goodbyes as Elsa guided Nokk back across the expansive water.

+0+0+0+0+

Yelana looked up impatiently as Honeymaren carefully approached her with Elsa behind her. “Your hands are empty.”

Honeymaren smirked and reached into her collar. “That’s because I had to keep our invitation safe from the water.”

Yelana tried not to look too happy as she took the envelope from Honeymaren’s hand. She hurriedly opened it and inspected the invitation decorated with hand drawn flowers and birds. After doing so, she nodded curtly at Honeymaren and Elsa.

“I hope the two did not cause you too much trouble, Fifth Spirit,” Yelana said to Elsa.

Elsa stepped next to Honeymaren and took Honeymaren’s hand. “No, of course not. The people of Arendelle were very excited to meet them too.”

“Hmm,” Yelana grunted and looked back at Honeymaren who kept her head tilted to the ground. “Good.”

She made a movement to get up from the log she sat on, but Elsa suddenly dropped to her knee. Honeymaren looked down at Elsa with surprise, and then looked back at Yelana with a little bit of fear of what was about to happen.

“I understand it is a Northuldra custom to ask permission to court someone,” Elsa began. “Honeymaren has already asked my sister permission for us to be together, and I am here asking yours as well.”

Yelana looked unsurprised as she stared down at Elsa. After a moment, she raised an eyebrow. “And? Why are you asking me?”

Elsa looked up, taken completely off-guard. “I-I’m sorry?”

Yelana waved her off as she turned to leave the fire they were surrounding. “You’re the Fifth Spirit; you can do whatever you like.” She shook her head. “I’m going to tell the others we are invited. Don’t stay up too late together; you have a lot of work to catch-up on tomorrow, Honeymaren.”

She walked away with a small smirk on her face, pausing for a moment to glance back at the dumbfounded Elsa and Honeymaren. Yelana chuckled to herself and continued to walk away.

Elsa and Honeymaren were silent for several moments.

“Huh,” Honeymaren said. “She can joke.”


	9. Chapter 9

Elsa felt dizzy as she watched the servants that flooded the room help Anna get prepared for her wedding. Elsa’s mind couldn’t comprehend it. A mix of guilt for missing so much of Anna’s life and disbelief that time had flown by so fast clouded her perception of the present moment. And at the present moment, Anna was speaking to her again.

“Are you listening, Elsa?” Anna’s voice seemed very distant even though she was seated right infront of Elsa.

Elsa blankly watched the servants fix Anna’s long, reddish hair before she blinked several times.

“Oh…uh…” Elsa’s throat was dry and the lump in it grew. “S-sorry, what was that?”

Anna began to rapidly speak to her again about being walked down the aisle, but Elsa once again found herself losing focus. Her eyes trailed down to Anna’s wedding dress. It looked even better than when it was on paper: green and gold colors flowing around Anna’s thin body, with intricate patterns at the top, gold and silver brooches sewn into the middle of each patterns, and colorful ribbons hanging from the royal crown. It wasn’t traditional, but it would definitely turn heads and perhaps make the younger female nobles wish for a dress like hers.

Elsa choked and wished Honeymaren was there with her; she would know how to calm the butterflies in Elsa’s stomach. However, Mattias had convinced Yelana that the old wives tale about how “the bride and groom can’t see each other before the wedding otherwise the marriage wouldn’t last” was an actual, ancient curse. And so, Honeymaren was now outside guarding the door.

Elsa lifted both hands and fanned her face as she struggled not to burst into tears.

“Aw, Elsa! No crying yet! T-they just put on my make-up…!” Anna sniffed as she imitated Elsa’s hand-fan motion.

Elsa wiped away a stray tear and nodded. “R-right, sorry… You look absolutely beautiful, Anna.”

Anna smiled bashfully and looked down at herself. “Thank you, Elsa. I’m sorry I’m doing things differently than you would’ve liked, but…”

Elsa shook her head. “No, this is perfect.”

Yelana’s voice spoke from beside them. “I agree.”

Anna waved her hands at the servants who instantly stepped away from fiddling with Anna’s hair. She shot up out of her seat and approached Yelana with a nervous, happy smile.

“I wanted to ask you something…” When Yelana gave a nod of permission for Anna to continue, Anna blurted out, “…Will you walk me down the aisle?”

Yelana looked down at Anna’s legs and feet, then back up at her face, confused. “Why? Are you injured?”

Anna facepalmed and tilted her head back. “Oh! I keep forgetting!”

Elsa explained, “It’s a tradition practiced during our weddings. The bride is walked down the aisle, usually by her father, but---“

Anna interrupted, looking down at her open hand as she counted its fingers with the other. “I tried asking Kai, but he said he was ‘merely a servant’ even though he’s taking care of us our entire lives but I guess I understand that, might make the other servants jealous. Then I asked Mattias but I couldn’t understand what he was saying because he was crying so much and then rushed off somewhere. Olaf just began to sing about the wedding day and how wonderful it was and began a long, intricate dance with Sven which, while really cute, I have absolutely no time for. So then I asked the head chef because I’m always in and out of the kitchen and he---“

Elsa held up her hand at Anna and Anna instantly stopped her frantic babbling. “…Ahem.” She turned calmly back to Yelana who was regarding Anna with a wide-eyed stare that expressed a mix of confusion and the beginning of a migraine. “---But, we don’t have a father figure available. It’s a symbolic in that the bride’s family is giving her husband their blessing.”

Yelana’s brows lowered. “I do not understand. Elsa, you are the obvious choice for walking Anna down this aisle.”

Elsa jumped slightly and looked away. “O-oh…I mean…I…” She shook her head. “No, I…don’t deserve it. I wasn’t there for Anna and it’s against the tradition---“

Yelana scoffed. “You’re here now, aren’t you? And, besides for that…” She turned and gestured with her arms spread. “…Anna has said many times that nothing about her wedding is ‘traditional.’ Why start now?”

Elsa’s mouth opened, but then she closed it, and then she looked over at Anna hopefully. Anna was already hopping up and down on her heels, clapping her hands together quietly, an excited grin on her face.

“Okay,” Elsa agreed softly as she gathered Anna into her arms.

Anna hummed happily and hugged Elsa tightly. “Thank you, Elsa.”

The happy moment was interrupted by a high-pitched shriek from the door of the room. Everyone whirled around to see Mattias enter, one hand grabbing his hair and the other pointing at Elsa.

“Elsa! You’re not even dressed! What’s going on in here?! The ceremony is beginning in less than an hour!” He shrieked. Mattias then marched up to Yelana whose expression twisted into a look of anger. “And why are your people still in their regular clothes?!”

Yelana frowned and tugged at a light blue shawl around her shoulders. “We are here as Northuldran, not as people from Arendelle. All of my people are honoring Anna and Kristoff by wearing their family shawls.”

Anna quickly rushed in between the two. “Mattias, please! They’re my family!”

Yelana nodded. “That is why we are wearing these: to show we are Anna and Elsa’s family.” She paused. “…Besides, the…uh…core-seeyts…look like torture devices…and the Arendelle clothes are too…poofy.”

Mattias rolled his eyes with a sigh. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I just want everything to be perfect.”

Anna smiled and touched Mattias’ cheek. “It is perfect…thank you.”

Mattias’ eyes became bright and watery. He quickly turned away and sniffled, using one arm to mask his face. “Y-you’re welcome. …Just…get Elsa into her dress…please…”

He sniffed some more and quietly wept as he exited the room.

Yelana sighed loudly and shook her head. “We are your family, and he is the child.”

+0+0+0+0+

Honeymaren blew out a gust of bored, tired air through her lips and lifted one of her feet to itch the opposite leg. She was holding her staff in hand as she leaned against the wall by the door that led into the room where Anna and Elsa were getting prepared. Mattias had dashed out of the room awhile ago, sobbing and mumbling under his breath about something. Honeymaren just hoped he and Yelana could get along for a few hours without embarrassing themselves. She itched under her shawl that matched Yelana’s and then shifted her weight onto her other foot.

Suddenly, the doorknob clicked and the door slowly and carefully opened. Honeymaren stepped aside and straightened respectfully with her staff in one hand. She expected a servant or Yelana, but the person exiting the room was Elsa. Honeymaren’s body stiffened when Elsa came into view.

Elsa wore a long, flowing green dress that was decorated at the bottom with small, intricate golden patterns shaped like flowers and leaves. Around the patterns, small crystals glittered, which Honeymaren presumed was a personal touch created with ice magic. Hugged around her thin shoulders was her mother’s shawl, which Elsa had carefully pinned together in the front with a brooch.

However, the part Honeymaren’s brain and eyes were focused on was Elsa’s hair. It was pinned and braided up, much like Anna’s hair when she wore the crown. Honeymaren had never seen her hair tied up like that before, and yet the only thing she could focus on was how she would love to use her fingers to pull Elsa’s hair out of its confinement while kissing those lips…

“Honey?” Elsa’s voice rang out distantly in Honeymaren’s head.

Honeymaren blinked several times and then realized her hat was now clutched in both of her hands. It was a bad habit she somehow created for herself…and a dead giveaway when she was attracted to someone.

“W-wha? I’m sorry?” Honeymaren muttered as her eyes trailed down Elsa’s long neck. Was her neck always this long?

Elsa was smirking playfully, cheeks pink. “You dropped your staff.”

“Oh!” Honeymaren said too loudly as she realized what a complete fool she must have looked like at the moment.

She quickly bent forward and grabbed her staff with one hand as the other still had her hat in its death grip. Honeymaren straightened back up, eyes wide and glued to Elsa’s beautiful figure…as she tried to put her staff on her head.

This time, Elsa giggled. “I don’t think your staff goes on your head.”

Honeymaren’s entire face and body turned red as she realized what she was doing. “Oh! No! Of course not! I was just…” She dropped her staff again. “…Oh Spirits…!”

Elsa covered her mouth to hide her enormous grin as she watched her girlfriend bend over. Honeymaren tried to grab her staff, but it would always slip out of her hand or roll away from her. Finally, after a lot of what Elsa guessed was cursing in the Northuldra language, Honeymaren hopped back up and put her hat on her head.

Honeymaren shut her eyes and inhaled through her nose. “Ahem.” She opened her eyes and looked at Elsa with a calm expression, despite her entire body flushed with embarrassment. “You look very nice.”

Elsa laughed lightly and stepped towards Honeymaren, lifting her hand and running it across one of Honeymaren’s hot cheeks. “Why thank you.” She tapped Honeymaren’s nose. “But you need to get your mind out of the gutter, My Love.”

Honeymaren gave Elsa an embarrassed grin. “That was pretty obvious, huh? What gave it away: the part where I was trying to wear my staff, or, the fact that I almost punctured my hat with my own fingers?”

Elsa laughed again, “The glazed-over expression and your mouth hanging open was my first hint.”

Honeymaren smirked and let Elsa give her a single peck on her lips. Elsa pulled away, her hand still on Honeymaren’s cheek, and her eyes suddenly sad.

“I’ve missed you,” Elsa muttered quietly, so only they could hear.

Honeymaren chuckled softly and lifted her free hand to hold Elsa’s hand that was on her cheek, “I’ve only been out here for a few hours.”

Elsa smiled sadly and averted her eyes from Honeymaren’s. “Yes, I know but…” She sighed deeply. “…Anna is getting married and I…I feel like everything is over for us and I missed out on her entire life. It’s like…reality has finally hit me.”

Honeymaren looked confused. “Everything is over? Elsa…Anna’s basically been married to Kristoff for years and you all have been close all this time. Nothing is going to change.”

Elsa shook her head. “But…when they have children…”

Honeymaren grinned. “Trust me – when they have children they’re going to be begging you to come over as much as possible. Those two are going to need a lot of help.”

Elsa let out a broken but amused laugh that almost sounded like a sob. “That is so true…” She looked back into Honeymaren’s eyes and let her thumb stroke Honeymaren’s soft cheek. “Thank you. You always know what to say…and that’s why I’ve needed you.”

Honeymaren smiled gently. “I’m here.”

Elsa’s eyes searched Honeymaren’s honest and bright eyes, and then trailed down to Honeymaren’s lips where they lingered heatedly. “I know.”

Elsa slid the hand on Honeymaren’s cheek down until it was on Honeymaren’s collarbone. She gently guided Honeymaren against the wall and leaned towards the Northuldra woman’s face with her eyes closed. Just as their lips were a centimeter from each other, a loud voice wailed out:

“Hey, hey, hey!!!”

Honeymaren instinctively aimed her staff at the voice and Elsa whirled around, one hand out to blast whoever it was with her ice magic. They both stopped when Mattias jogged over and separated them.

“Elsa, don’t ruin your make-up!” Mattias pled in a high-pitched, strained plea. He turned to Honeymaren and pointed at her face. “Honeymaren, can you please wait until after the wedding is over to seduce Elsa?! We got a schedule to keep!”

Honeymaren snapped her mouth at his finger which quickly withdrew from her face.

Elsa giggled at Honeymaren, “Yes, please stop seducing me by repeatedly dropping your staff. It is far too much for me to resist.”

Honeymaren playfully stuck out her tongue at Elsa and then looked back up at Mattias. “Are you finally done crying?”

Mattias sighed and reached for the doorknob. “Very funny… …But no, I got a whole lot of tears left…”

Honeymaren smirked and Elsa held back a giggle as Mattias went back into the room. Once the door closed behind him, Elsa gave Honeymaren a flirty smile.

“Now then, where were we?” Elsa asked as she stepped towards Honeymaren again.

Honeymaren could only mutter something unintelligible as Elsa’s hands returned to her chest. Elsa hummed with amusement as their lips closed in again.

“AHEM,” Yelana’s voice interrupted.

Elsa jumped backwards and Honeymaren slid down the wall where she had been pinned by Elsa’s hands. She quickly got up again, clutching her staff in both hands.

“Honeymaren, please!” Yelana scolded the stunned Honeymaren. “We are trying to make a good impression here: stop acting like a love-sick teenager!”

Elsa hid her devious smile behind her hand. “Yes, Honeymaren, how dare you.”

Honeymaren shook her head with disbelief. “Yes, how dare me and me only.”

Yelana pushed Honeymaren away from the door and then stood at full attention. “Now, stand up straight; Anna is coming out.”

Honeymaren imitated her version of one of the Royal Guards and stood at full attention. Elsa snaked her arms around the arm that hung by Honeymaren’s side, putting her head on Honeymaren’s shoulder. Honeymaren smiled at Elsa and then turned her attention to the opening door.

A stream of servants stepped out first, followed by Anna who held onto Mattias’ arm. Honeymaren’s mouth fell open as Elsa gave her arm a tight squeeze, her head pressing into Honeymaren’s shoulder. Anna looked around until she saw Elsa and the others, and then beamed happily.

“Elsa,” Mattias called out. “Come, the ceremony has already begun.”

Yelana jumped and Honeymaren stared wide-eyed as a girlish energy suddenly possessed the normally stone-faced leader. “Oh! Honeymaren! We must take our seats, hurry!”

Elsa released Honeymaren and began to follow Mattias and Anna, turning her head to look at Honeymaren with her eyes full of tears and a smile on her face. Honeymaren held onto Elsa’s fingers until Elsa was no longer in reach.

+0+0+0+0+

Yelana and Honeymaren followed one of the Royal Guardsmen into the throne room of the Castle where the ceremony was about to begin. They were seated up front on the side of the room where the Northuldra sat, all of them sticking out like sore thumbs amongst the various nobles and dignitaries. Honeymaren could feel the tension hang thickly in the air.

“Where is Ryder?” Yelana suddenly asked.

Honeymaren pointed to where Kristoff stood at the altar. Beside him were Ryder, Olaf, and Sven. Ryder waved excitedly at Honeymaren and Yelana, causing Olaf to follow his lead.

“What is he doing?” Yelana hissed.

Honeymaren shrugged. “He said he was the…Best Man?”

Yelana sat back and glowered at Ryder who caught her look and stopped waving with a sheepish smile. “Hmph. I would disagree with that…”

Organ music began to play and everyone stood up. Anna appeared with Elsa by her side, both with strained expressions and large, watery eyes. Mattias stepped behind them as they began to walk down the aisle.

“Hold the tears just a little bit longer…” Mattias whispered.

However, as soon as he said that, Elsa made a high-pitched, sobbing noise in her throat and then Anna followed with her own noise. As they got to the front seats, Elsa quickly let go of Anna’s arm and rushed next to Honeymaren to cling to hers. Honeymaren patted her head with a smirk and let Elsa press her face into her shoulder.

Anna looked at Kristoff with large eyes. “Oh…I told you: you clean up nice.”

Kristoff’s mouth hung open as he stared at Anna with red cheeks. He finally shook his head and chuckled nervously, playing with the white, sash across his chest. “I uh, I figured…well…we figured because Ryder and Honeymaren helped…that I should wear something Northuldra-inspired too. Which is…this.” He looked up. “I’m sorry, I’m rambling, you look so beautiful.”

Anna smiled bashfully and bit her lower lip. “Thank you, Kristoff.”

After everyone sat back down, Elsa clutched to Honeymaren’s arm and stared up blearily at Anna and Kristoff. In her eyes, Anna was still a little girl dreaming about romance and always wanting to play. The priest was speaking, but Elsa couldn’t hear any of it. The tears in her eyes blurred out everything and everyone, all she could hear clearly was her own heart pounding in her chest and her blood rushing through her head.

Meanwhile, Honeymaren steadied her breath that she could now visibly see. She didn’t want anyone else to know how cold her arm was and make a scene that would interrupt the wedding, or make Elsa feel humiliated. Honeymaren was glad for the cold; the room was stuffy and hot with everyone crammed inside of it and the Northuldra clothing was too heavy for it.

She peeked down at Elsa and then her arm. Her sleeve was shimmering in a thin layer of frost, but nothing else seemed to be affected. Honeymaren quickly checked around their seats, which earned her an elbow in the rib from Yelana and the old woman mouthing “stop squirming” to her. There were no hints of ice or frost, so she resumed watching the wedding, just as Kristoff clumsily dropped a bunch of small papers at Anna’s feet.

“Oh!” Anna gasped as she bent over at the same time as Kristoff to help pick them up.

They bumped their heads together and then whipped back up, both holding their foreheads and apologizing to each other at the same time.

Honeymaren hid a chuckle as a small wave of chuckles and murmurs spread through the crowd. That seemed to snap Elsa out of whatever daze she was in and she looked worriedly at the couple.

“I—uh—h-have…um…things to say…lots of things…lots of…romantic things!” Kristoff stuttered as he looked helplessly at the papers on the ground.

Anna laughed softly and held Kristoff’s cheek. “It’s okay; you don’t need to say anything. Kristoff, you stayed by my side through all our crazy adventures, and even when I abandoned you to chase after my sister. I mean, heck: we faced giant, Earth Spirits together!”

The noble crowd looked worried and confused, murmurming to each other again. However, Honeymaren noticed a couple seated up front that looked unfazed by the prospect of giant creatures roaming the land. The man with the goatee playfully waved his hand in a dismissive manner and blew through her lips. The woman next to him with short, brown hair giggled at him as the lizard seated on her shoulder grinned. Honeymaren didn’t know who they were, but she had a feeling they had many adventures together…and that she wanted to be their friend.

Anna shrugged her shoulders. “So really, there’s nothing we can say to each other that describes that kind of devotion we have.”

Kristoff looked visibly relieved. “Oh thank God…” He shook his head and then cleared his throat. “I mean…right! You’re absolutely right. And I will continue to stay by your side, Anna, because I love you.”

Anna smiled happily, tears springing in her eyes. “I love you too, Kristoff.”

The crowd muttered their approvals and soft sniffling echoed in the room. Elsa wrapped herself around Honeymaren’s arm tighter and put her head on her lover’s shoulder again. That’s when she noticed how stiff Honeymaren’s sleeve had become. She looked down and realized the sleeve was frozen and then frantically looked up at Honeymaren, and then was taken aback with surprise.

Tears were pouring down Honeymaren’s cheeks as the Northuldra woman tried to keep a straight face. Elsa’s eyes were wide and her mouth dropped: she had never seen Honeymaren full-on cry before. She quickly unfrozen Honeymaren’s sleeve, terrified the tears were from pain.

“Honey?” Elsa whispered worriedly near Honeymaren’s ear.

Honeymaren jumped and glanced over at Elsa before quickly wiping her tears away. “S-sorry…weddings make me…ugh…”

Elsa grinned and stroked Honeymaren’s cheek with her free hand. “Me too.”

Honeymaren sniffed and forced her wet eyes back just in time to see Anna and Kristoff kiss. The crowd applauded and cheered and the Northuldra began to chant like they did at their weddings. The room thrummed with happy energy and even the nobles seemed to let down their guard to clap along to the singing and chanting.

Anna turned and beamed at everyone. Ryder jumped near Kristoff and slapped the grinning blonde’s back. Olaf was loudly and off-key trying to chant along, causing Sven to cringe and slowly sidestep away from the snowman.

Anna looked down at Elsa with a huge smile, tears now streaming down her cheeks. Elsa finally allowed her own tears to fall and she nodded at her sister.

+0+0+0+0+

Elsa sat at her assigned table, already feeling exhausted. The nobles all wanted to speak to her and ask her about what had happened, where she had been, and about the Northuldra. Thankfully, they had finally lost interest in her when the food and drinks began to come out. She slumped in her chair and held her forehead with a sigh. Suddenly, a plate of food was placed infront of her. She looked down at it with surprise and then looked over to see Honeymaren and Ryder excitedly dropping into their seats besides her with their own plates of food.

“Oooh, bread!” Ryder gasped as he reached out and grabbed several pieces from the bread basket in the middle of their table. “Ugh, I’ve missed Arendelle bread and butter…!”

Elsa looked down at the plate: all the food she had told Honeymaren she was excited about was piled up on the plate. Elsa smiled to herself and then smiled more when she turned to watch Honeymaren wrestle a single piece of bread for herself from Ryder.

“You remembered…Thank you…” Elsa said softly.

Honeymaren settled back in her seat with a now crumbling piece of bread. “When it comes to food, I don’t forget.”

Elsa knew Honeymaren was just being modest: Honeymaren remembered everything that made Elsa happy or everything that Elsa mentioned wanting. Anna and Kristoff’s improvised speech really made her think how devoted Honeymaren was to Elsa, even before they admitted their feelings to each other. Elsa wondered if Honeymaren knew she was as devoted and in love as Honeymaren was.

“Is this ‘wine’ stuff strong like our alcohol?” Honeymaren wondered as she inspected her glass of wine.

Ryder sniffed at it. “It smells fruity…and I still have my nose hairs so I’m guessing not.”

Elsa blinked. “…Northuldra alcohol is really that strong?”

Honeymaren smirked. “Burns all the way down.”

“And out too!” Ryder added, earning him an eyeroll from Honeymaren.

Elsa giggled and held up her wine glass. “Well, the wine here will make you…pleasantly giddy…without the burning.”

“Good enough for me,” Honeymaren said as she raised her glass to her lips.

Honeymaren paused when Elsa held her wine glass up next to Honeymaren’s. Elsa was smiling a soft, happy smile, eyes full of love.

“Cheers,” Elsa said and clicked her glass to Honeymaren’s.

Honeymaren blinked, confused, and then looked at Elsa. “Is this an Arendelle thing?”

Elsa nodded and held her glass to Ryder’s. “Cheers, Ryder.”

Ryder grinned and clicked his glass with hers. “Cheers!”

“Cheers everyone!” Anna cheered, now suddenly seated at the end of the table with Kristoff.

“Anna?!” Elsa nearly spat out her wine with surprise.

Anna grinned with Kristoff. “It’s boring at that little table by ourselves, so we snuck away and decided to join yours!”

Kristoff nodded towards the small bride and groom table at the back of the ballroom. “But don’t worry, we got replacements.”

They turned to see Olaf seated next to Sven at the table. Olaf was happily waving at the oblivious crowd while Sven scarfed down his food. 

Kristoff smirked at Anna. “How long do you think before anyone notices?”

Anna grinned back. “I’d say about a good hour.”

Elsa sighed.

Anna grabbed a piece of bread and cut a huge slab of butter to spread on it. “It’s fine, Elsa! Have fun! Relax!” She nodded at Elsa’s wine glass. “Drink some wine! We have a lot! Like…a lot, a lot! We can drown the entire city in booze if we really wanted to!”

“…You two have been drinking already, huh?” Elsa asked flatly.

Kristoff gave Elsa an innocent look and used his pointer finger and thumb to indicate they had been “a little.” Anna shook her head at him with a smirk. Kristoff smiled widely and used two hands to indicate they had been drinking a lot more than that. Ryder laughed with Honeymaren, and then Anna and Kristoff loudly joined in.

Elsa sighed again and nursed her forehead: this would definitely be the wedding everyone would talk about for years. She took a long sip of wine.

+0+0+0+0+

Honeymaren listened as Elsa repeated the same story about Anna and her as children for the third time. The two laughed just as hard as the first time Elsa told it, and Honeymaren tried her best to convincingly laugh along. After the second time, Kristoff and Ryder decided to go visit the other tables. Elsa had only three glasses of wine and she was acting like she had drunk an entire jug of Northuldra brew. Honeymaren was planning on drinking a lot more than half a glass of wine, but once she saw Elsa deteriorate, she stopped. She couldn’t let Elsa get taken advantage of by some wedding guest……or cause another instant blizzard….. Also, she was enjoying watching the normally quiet and reserved Elsa laughing so much.

Elsa draped herself on Honeymaren’s side. “I feel like…I’ve told that story before…”

Honeymaren grinned. “Nope, that was the first.”

Anna looked down at her fingers and began counting repeatedly on them. She eventually gave up and shrugged at Elsa with a laugh. Elsa laughed too as Honeymaren smirked at the sisters.

Mattias approached Anna with a worried expression on his face. He glanced at the empty bottles of wine on the table and slowly began, “Uh…Your Majesty? Are you and Kristoff ready for your first dance?”

Anna shot up in her seat and slammed the table with both hands. “YES! DANCING!” She gasped loudly and reached over to whack Elsa’s hand. “I LOVE dancing!” She stumbled out of her seat and Mattias quickly grabbed her before she could fall over. “Kristoff! Kristoff, where did you go?!”

“Your Majesty…A-Anna…please…” Mattias begged quietly as he followed her across the room.

Elsa laughed after them and sighed. Honeymaren rested her elbow on the table and put her chin in her hand, watching Elsa with an amused smile.

“Presenting, Queen Anna and King Kristoff!” Mattias announced in the middle of the ballroom dance floor. He paused and wearily watched as Anna dragged a laughing and stumbling Kristoff into the middle of the floor. “…F-for their first dance as husband and wife!”

The small group of musicians off to the side began to play a slow, romantic tune. Anna and Kristoff somehow managed to slow dance without falling over themselves, but not without a lot of giggling.

Elsa watched them with a big, happy smile. “They’re so perfect for each other…” She turned to Honeymaren with a finger raised. “Did…did you know she tried to marry a real jerk?”

Honeymaren grinned. “Yes, Olaf told us.”

“He did?” Elsa wondered. She paused and fell into deep, silent concentration. Then her eyes lit up. “Oh yeah! I forgot…”

She giggled and Honeymaren couldn’t help but giggle with her. Elsa turned back to the dance floor where other couples began to join in.

“Is that Ryder?” Elsa gasped, grabbing Honeymaren’s shoulder and pointing to the dance floor.

Honeymaren looked to see Ryder grinning sheepishly as five, young, beautiful noble women surrounded him, presumably all wanting to dance with him. Ryder rubbed the back of his head and then turned off to the side with a bright expression. He rushed away from the girls and returned with Sven. Sven allowed Ryder to lead him to the dance floor, giving the young (and stunned) women a cocky reindeer smirk.

“Oh boy…” Honeymaren chuckled.

Elsa cocked her head with a smirk. “It was a good way to get out of that situation, though.”

Honeymaren laughed, “True.”

Elsa turned back to look at Honeymaren with an intense expression on her face. Honeymaren felt her face flush and she looked down at her half empty glass of wine. Elsa stretched her arms across the table and placed her chin between them, looking up at Honeymaren with large eyes.

“You haven’t asked me to dance…” Elsa sulked in a small, whiny voice.

Honeymaren blushed as she looked down at Elsa. “Oh, uh, but you said you don’t---“

Elsa grabbed Honeymaren’s hands and hauled her out of her seat. “Oh, don’t listen to me!”

Elsa stumbled along as she dragged Honeymaren to the dance floor. Once there, Elsa released Honeymaren who stood frozen as she felt eyes watching them from every direction. Elsa pressed herself against Honeymaren and hummed happily, giggling to herself as she closed her eyes.

“Um…like this?” Honeymaren asked, taking Elsa’s shoulders and rocking them to the music.

Elsa looked up, wide eyed. “Oh…I forgot. You wouldn’t know how to slow dance.”

Honeymaren released Elsa’s shoulders to rub the back of her neck. “I’m sorry.”

Elsa shook her head and carefully took one of Honeymaren’s hands and placed it behind her back. Honeymaren held Elsa close and followed Elsa’s motions until she took over the lead. Elsa sighed and placed her head on Honeymaren’s shoulder, using her free arm to wrap around Honeymaren’s neck.

“I’m drunk,” Elsa sighed.

Honeymaren laughed, “I noticed. You can’t handle much, huh?”

“Ugh…nooo…” Elsa groaned, face turning red. “I’m sorry… You always have to look out for me.”

Honeymaren placed her chin ontop of Elsa’s head. “I want to look out for you. I love you.”

Elsa smiled. “I love you too.” She opened her eyes and looked to see various guests watching them and whispering. “Everyone is watching, aren’t they?”

Honeymaren shrugged. “Some people are, yeah.” She grinned down at Elsa. “It looks like we have to run away together into the Forest where no one can find us.”

Elsa laughed, “Do you have a place for us to stay?”

“I’ve heard there’s a tribe of amazingly beautiful and strong people in there. We should be good,” Honeymaren replied.

Elsa smirked and slid a hand down Honeymaren’s arm. “I can’t wait to meet them.” She paused and looked up towards the ceiling, squinting her eyes. “…Wait a minute…that decoration up there…it’s missing the other half.”

Honeymaren turned her head and looked up to see a colorful banner with a bunch of flowers on one side but not the other. “It’s fine. It still looks---“

Her eyes went wide and her mouth formed into a small ‘o’ as Elsa reached over her shoulder and blasted her magic towards it. Everyone gasped and some people shrieked with surprise as the magic flew up to the ceiling and formed ice flowers on the empty side.

“Perfect!” Elsa beamed up at the ceiling, very proud of herself. She turned and waved to Anna. “I fixed it!”

Anna squinted at her and then her eyes brightened. “Elsa! Are you dancing?!”

Elsa giggled as Honeymaren quickly began to drag her back to the table as everyone gawked at her. “I’m dancing! With Honey! Isn’t she beautiful?!”

“YES SHE IS! She’s dancing, Kristoff! With Honeymaren!” Anna’s voice boomed.

“Oooh-kay…let’s take a break…” Honeymaren said to Elsa as she gave all the staring wedding guests a nervous smile.

Standing off to the side, both with wine glasses in their hands, Mattias and Yelana sighed.

“These Arendelle drinks are not strong enough to deal with nonsense,” Yelana muttered.

Mattias nodded in agreement.

+0+0+0+0+

Much later that night, Elsa’s room door kicked open. Honeymaren’s arms and legs shook as she carried Elsa into the room. Elsa slipped out of Honeymaren’s arms and steadied herself on her vanity. Honeymaren shook her aching arms and then massaged the burning muscles in them.

“You’re so strong,” Elsa said, voice mixed with teasing Honeymaren and still on her wine buzz. “By the sixth flight of stairs, I was sure you would need a break!”

Honeymaren shook her legs out next. “Ha…yeah… I probably should have because…” She stretched and her back suddenly gave out. “…Oof! …There goes my back…”

She turned away from Elsa and hobbled towards the large, antique desk in the room. Honeymaren put two hands on it, bent over, and attempted to fix her back. Suddenly, a very cold hand placed itself on her back. Honeymaren practically leaped into the air at how cold it was and from the shockwave it sent into her tight muscles.

Elsa shushed Honeymaren and soothingly rubbed her back. While Honeymaren was distracted with pain, she had magically changed into nightwear and concentrated ice magic into her palms.

“Ugh, that feels…so good,” Honeymaren breathed as she relaxed against the desk. “I keep forgetting you can do that.”

Elsa hummed and ran her hands down Honeymaren’s arms. “You know…I can do this better if we…went to my bed…”

Honeymaren swallowed hard as her brain waged a civil war with her own thoughts: [She’s drunk.] [Nah, she’s not THAT drunk...] [Honey, she was dancing and laughing: she’s gone.] [Elsa laughs!] [Not like that!] [You want to fight?] [Bring it on!]

She shook her head and turned to Elsa with her hands up. “I, uh…I’m good now.” She reached down and fumbled with a small bottle hanging off her belt. “Here, uh…Yelana made this. Drink it and you won’t have such a bad hangover in the morning.” She popped the cork off the bottle, knowing Elsa wouldn’t be able to in her state. “Also, it will help you sleep it off.”

Honeymaren handed the bottle to Elsa who warily sniffed its contents. She reared her head back and stuck out her tongue. Elsa held her nose and drank the foul liquid as quickly as she could. Once she was done, she gasped for air and stuck out her tongue again, this time desperately wiping it off with her fingers.

Honeymaren couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, it’s gross.”

“It’s the worst thing I’ve ever tasted!” Elsa corrected. She continued making small, grossed-out noises as she tried to get the taste out of her mouth. Elsa walked to her bed and then sat down on the edge. “I don’t even know why I drank so much… I don’t ever drink, and if I do, it’s barely a glass of wine... I’m turning into an alcola---koomalick---alcalamakhuh---“ She shook her head once and blinked slowly at the grinning Honeymaren. “I’m drinking!”

Honeymaren chuckled and sat down next to her. “I think it’s because weddings just bring out a lot of feelings that we don’t like dealing with.”

Elsa looked at Honeymaren. “Like…the feeling your sister is growing up too fast?”

Honeymaren nodded and reached out to wipe some spare “medicine” that Elsa had on the corner of her mouth. “I would say so.”

Elsa looked down as she swayed a little. Then she let out a small laugh and smiled up at Honeymaren. “I’ve…never seen you cry like that before.”

“Ugh, I try not to,” Honeymaren groaned. She smirked and put a hand on her chest. “I like to keep my emotions bottled up until I eventually explode over something small and insignificant.”

Elsa chuckled quietly as she inched closer to Honeymaren. “But…weddings?”

Honeymaren blushed and looked away. “Yeah… I guess I’m just a big softie.”

Elsa put her hands on Honeymaren’s cheeks. “You want what they have.”

Honeymaren’s breath was visible and hung in the small space between their faces. “Uh, Elsa, you’re still, um, cold…”

Elsa’s eyes were half-lidded and a smug smile on her face. “I know.”

She leaned forward and kissed Honeymaren. Honeymaren sunk into the kiss, the feeling of her face being cold and Elsa’s warms lips clashing together pleasantly. Elsa pulled away and pushed Honeymaren back onto the bed. She crawled over Honeymaren until her knees were on either side of the Northuldra woman’s hips.

“Elsa, you’re not…in the right state of mind,” Honeymaren warned.

Elsa bent over and kissed Honeymaren’s throat. “I’m well aware of what I’m doing.”

“You’re really…not,” Honeymaren’s voice was now several octaves higher than normal. “You _really_ don’t know what you’re doing to me right now…”

Elsa’s hands returned to her cheeks, but this time they were warm. Elsa stretched ontop of Honeymaren to look her in the eyes, pressing their foreheads together. Honeymaren searched the blue eyes and the blown pupils.

“Honey? Are we…can we…” Elsa whispered, eyes suddenly filled with emotion. “…Will you marry me?” Elsa began to weep and Honeymaren grinned, knowing it was the wine talking. “You’re so nice and…and…and you listen and you CARE! And you feed me food that I like, those little shrimps…did you try any of those?”

Honeymaren held back a laugh and shook her head, biting her lip in an attempt to keep her composure.

Elsa tilted her head back. “Ugh, so good! I knew I should’ve saved some in my dress like Anna did…” Elsa then continued, “And you don’t treat me like a freak or some holy-spirit-nature-god-thing!”

Honeymaren reached up and squished Elsa’s cheeks together, feeling the hot tears drip down between her fingers. “Elsa, I love you. I will marry you, I promise.” She grinned. “But you have to propose to me better than that, otherwise I’ll just do it myself.”

Elsa looked worried. “No! I want to do it! I have a whole plan and everything…do you want to hear it?”

Honeymaren laughed and hoisted herself all the way onto the bed. She pulled the blankets away and put Elsa underneath them, patting her on the head. “Maybe in the morning.”

“Can I wash your hair again in the morning?” Elsa asked. She yawned. “That was nice…”

“Only if you’ll get in with me this time,” Honeymaren joked as she got off the bed. “Go to sleep, I’ll be right back. I have to change out of these.”

“Can I wear your hat?” Elsa asked sleepily.

Honeymaren smiled and removed her hat, then placed it on Elsa’s head. “Good night.”

Elsa nodded and turned on her side, the hat slipping down to her nose. Honeymaren smirked at the cute sight and found herself thinking back to when Anna and Kristoff were infront of the priest, professing how much they loved each other in their own way. The image was replaced with Elsa and her standing infront of the priest and Honeymaren felt her face go one fire. She turned away from Elsa and covered her face with both of her hands.

Eventually, she sighed loudly at herself and let her hands drop at her sides. “You really are soft…”

She shook her head at herself and went into the bathroom to change. It was going to be difficult to play dumb tomorrow if she kept blushing like this…

+0+0+0+0+

The next morning, Elsa, still dressed in her homemade nightdress, looked down at Honeymaren’s deeply asleep form. The Northuldra girl was twisted up under the blanket, face pressed into the pillow, hair all of the place, and her arms strewn about the sides of her head. Elsa looked around and spotted Honeymaren’s staff leaning against the vanity. As quietly as she could, Elsa picked it up and tip-toed back to the bed. She paused as she shifted the staff in her hands and then used it to gently poke Honeymaren’s shoulder.

“Honey?” Elsa asked, her body automatically leaning away as if she had just poked a sleeping lion.

Honeymaren shot up with one hand in the air, ready to strike. Once she saw it was Elsa, she settled back down with a relieved sigh.

“Good morning,” Elsa said with a laugh.

Honeymaren rubbed her eyes and sat up. “’Morning… Sorry for almost punching you…again.”

Elsa grinned and placed the staff back where she found it. “I’m use to it by now.” She hurried back to the bed and reached out her hand. “Come, before it’s gone.”

“What’s gone?” Honeymaren asked with a yawn as she automatically accepted Elsa’s outreached hand.

Elsa helped Honeymaren out of bed with an excited smile. “Just hurry!”

Elsa released Honeymaren’s hand and rushed out the balcony doors.

Honeymaren’s bones snapped and crackled as her feet hit the floor. “Alright, alright…”

She scratched the back of her head as she trudged out onto the balcony. Elsa was leaning on the railing, smiling brightly at Honeymaren.

“Look,” Elsa said as she pointed over the town.

There was a light fog and the air with thick with the smells of wet grass and ground. Honeymaren guessed it had just rained and her suspicions were confirmed when her bare feet stepped into a small puddle. She finally looked where Elsa was pointing and went still. Up in the sky were long streams of multicolored lights in an arch shape.

“Wow…” Honeymaren breathed. She turned to Elsa. “Is that your magic?”

Elsa laughed lightly, “I wish.” She nodded upwards. “That is a rainbow. It’s sort-of an optical illusion that occurs from reflection, refraction, and dispersion of light. When light from the sun enters water droplets in the air from the rain, they bend and---“ She paused when she realized Honeymaren was giving her a blank expression. “…It’s just a phenomenon that sometimes happens after it rains.”

“It’s magic, gotcha,” Honeymaren said with a grin.

Elsa smirked at her and rolled her eyes. “Despite how complicated it sounds to you, sadly it is easier to explain than taxes are.”

“Why do humans make up such complicated things to make our own lives more difficult?” Honeymaren wondered as she turned back to the rainbow. “Nature just does whatever is good…and pretty.”

Elsa giggled, “Who knows. Maybe we all just like to torture ourselves.”

They fell silent and continued to look at the rainbow. Elsa breathed in through her nose and then quietly released the air through her mouth. It was a perfect end to Anna’s wedding: a very fairytale-like rainbow.

“I’m surprised we haven’t seen one in the Forest yet,” Elsa said without thinking.

Honeymaren crossed her arms on the railing and put her chin on them, bent over. “Well, it is difficult to see over all the trees.”

Elsa laughed, “Yes, I suppose it is.”

Honeymaren turned back to Elsa and pushed herself off the railing to straighten up. “How do you feel by the way?”

Elsa sighed and hung her head. “…I feel like I said a lot of stupid things last night…”

Honeymaren grinned widely. “When I was carrying you up the stairs, you made me stop infront of some poor servant. You thought he was that monster Hans fellow and vented a lot of frustrations out before I had to take you away.”

Elsa groaned and covered her face. “Oh no… I will have to find him and apologize…”

Honeymaren laughed and waved her hand dismissively. “Nah, I think everyone in the castle had a little too much wine last night. Everyone’s memories are going to be as foggy as Arendelle is right now.”

Elsa peeked at Honeymaren through her fingers. “I, um…I…recall proposing to you last night… I’m so sorry for acting like a total fool…”

Honeymaren smirked and put her elbow back on the railing and propped her chin in her hand. “Well, I didn’t say no.”

Elsa’s entire face turned red and her hands fell away from her face. “O-oh! I---“ She paused. “…You weren’t…drinking last night…were you?”

Honeymaren shook her head, her smirk stretching across her face in a way that made Elsa both want to slap her and kiss her. “Nope.”

Elsa looked down at her feet. “Oh…w-well…are---?” She shook her head suddenly and stomped her foot. “Wait, no! I want a redo!”

Honeymaren burst out into laughter, “A redo?”

“Yes! But…not now! I have---” Elsa’s face was practically steaming as her eyebrows knitted together.

“…It all planned out?” Honeymaren asked with a sly grin.

The red in Elsa’s face quickly vanished and her skin paled even more than it usually was. “Oh no…I didn’t…tell you, did I?”

Honeymaren stood back up again and walked up to Elsa’s face. “No, but you did tell me you had something planned out already.”

Elsa sighed with relief and then looked away with a small, embarrassed hum in her throat. “…It’s…pretty sad, huh? That I’m already planning our wedding?”

Honeymaren shook her head, this time it was her turn to blush. “No…it…makes me really happy…knowing you’re thinking about me like that...thinking about us like that.”

Elsa’s eyebrows rose on her head, realizing she had nothing to worry about. Honeymaren’s acts of love were doing things for Elsa, but Elsa’s acts of love were more unseen and silent, but just as strong. For once, Elsa didn’t feel guilty and ashamed of herself. She smiled and shook her head. That was Honeymaren’s magic: the power to make Elsa happy and not ruminate on things. To look forward to the future, and not back on the past. It was a magic more powerful than all the Spirits’ magic combined.

“Ugh, now I can’t wait! Tell me one small detail of your plan, please?” Honeymaren suddenly exploded, her face red and her hands grabbing at the hair on her head.

Elsa’s eyes widened and then she smiled slyly. “Absolutely not.”

“Awww! …Okay, how about what season you wanted? Winter, right? I mean, it’s obvious because of who you are! It’s perfect, let’s do it!” Honeymaren babbled happily.

Elsa laughed as Honeymaren grabbed her head and kissed her repeatedly on her lips. She was actually thinking about the spring, but a winter wedding sounded nice to her too.

“Well, I suppose I can tell you our honeymoon plans…” Elsa said slowly, eyes half-lidded as her hands played with Honeymaren’s nightgown collar.

Honeymaren looked intrigued. “Honeymoon? What’s a honeymoon?”

Elsa’s smile and the look in her blue eyes made Honeymaren’s face go on fire. “Come back inside with me, and I will show you.”

Elsa turned and walked slowly back inside, swinging her hips as her nightdress began to flurry away. Honeymaren gawked after Elsa with an open mouth before she raced after Elsa, slamming the balcony doors behind her.

“Wait…does that mean Anna and Kristoff get a honeymoon too?”

“Honey…please do not give me that mental image right now.”

The end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, thank you so much for reading my first fan fic I've written in years. I was not expecting a lot of feedback when I wrote it so I was pleasantly surprised by all your funny, helpful, and nice comments! I'm sorry it came out so slowly - I've had sooo many sudden health scares/problems/surgeries/procedures that came out of nowhere and really messed with my head. So I am really sorry for the long breaks between each chapter and thank you for sticking around.
> 
> With 'The Owl House' introducing a main bisexual character, I'm hoping this is the beginning of Disney finally stop being so cowardly. I'm not trying to get my hopes up, but I would love to see Disney make Elsamaren happen and I'm hoping they won't be so afraid of lgbt+ representation now after seeing the huge positive response to 'The Owl House' wlw ship. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you all again. Stay safe and healthy~


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